Beauty and the Tragedy
by jackthepumpkin777
Summary: "You don't deserve a girl with scars on their wrists and a rape story." Amu whispered. "I don't want someone perfect, with a hobby for baking, or anything like that.." Ikuto replied, gingerly touching Amu's scars. "I just want you."
1. Chapter 1

**Amu's plan was to go through high school unnoticed so none of her secrets would be exposed. But that all changed the day she found Tsukiyomi Ikuto about to commit suicide.**

**Beauty and the Tragedy**

Summer vacation was over. This was made especially clear to Amu when her alarm clock screeched out its awful pattern of ringing at 6:30 AM. With a loud groan that resembled that of an elephant, the pinkette rolled in her sheets; the soft cotton tangled around her legs and chained her to the mattress.

Buried under pillows and stuffed animals, Amu emerged slowly, like the dead, having to peel her eyes open and greet the sunlight whether she liked it or not. She sighed loudly and scowling, yanked the alarm clock plug from the electrical outlet while trying to untwist her legs. She could already hear her younger sister bouncing around downstairs, accompanied by the loud voice of her mom.

Stumbling into the washroom, the pinkette found herself pondering her chances of faking sick as she held her hand under the faucet, waiting patiently for the water to turn warm. Her honey-colored eyes darted over to her exposed wrist and she hastily pulled her sleeve down out of habit, even though there was no one around to see the scars carved into her skin.

A fresh school year was about to begin; another year of fake smiles and facades to hide behind. No one had to know of her secret. It was almost surprising how no one had noticed that she wore long-sleeved shirts all year round, except for in P.E. class, when she was forced to wear a t-shirt, but shielded her ever-growing amount of cuts with wrist bands.

Exhaling slowly, she silently thanked her school uniform for having long sleeves.

After washing her face and throwing on her uniform, Amu descended the stairs while attempting to yank on her socks. In a ritualistic greeting, Amu and her obnoxious thirteen year old sister, Ami, sneered at each other as Amu entered the kitchen. Ami was perched at the kitchen counter, chowing down a piece of toast.

The looks went by unnoticed by their mom, Midori, who was too busy scraping off the burnt pieces from the next batch of toast. Even if there was no burnt breakfast to deal with, she always seemed to be too caught up in her own business to notice the hateful relationship between the girls; either that or she purposely turned a blind eye, not knowing how to deal with it.

"Amu, could you pick up some milk and bread on the way home from school?" Midori asked, presenting Amu with a plate of semi-burnt toast with a gob of butter sitting on it.

Amu gazed down at her plate in distaste.

"I have to work at four, mom. I wouldn't have time." She replied tiredly, pouring herself a glass of water.

Midori's eyebrows slanted downwards as she frowned. She slowly lowered herself into the seat next to Amu. "Oh… I-I thought you said yesterday that you'd be able to help me with the errands today…? Please, please, please, Amu?"

The pinkette glanced to her side, trying hard not to glare at her mother. Midori knew just how hard Amu had to work ever since the accident, yet she insisted on getting help with everything; even what she was capable of doing on her own.

Amu released a long sigh and set her toast down. "I'll see what I can do."

Midori beamed at her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, honey! You're a lifesaver."

Ami rolled her eyes that were layered in eyeliner and mascara. "I think I'm going to gag. Can we go now? I can't be late again every single day this year."

Amu threw her bag over her shoulder while sliding on her shoes. "You're the reason we were always late last year. I don't see how someone can spend more than an hour in the washroom every single day."

Ami twisted her auburn hair around a perfectly manicured finger as she shrugged. "I wouldn't expect you to understand what it's like to be popular. Now, hurry up! It's my first day of high school and I _cannot_ be late!"

Amu slammed the front door behind her and glared at her younger sister. "I _cannot _be late." She mimicked quietly, her face scrunching up in disgust.

The two girls set out towards the school on foot – despite Ami's complaints. Amu was only sixteen, so she couldn't drive the both of them to school. She found she was being selfless by walking with her sister instead of driving and making Ami walk alone, but Ami had a different perspective on the matter, claiming Amu was being selfish by refusing to break the law.

"Why did I wear these heels? They're so painful." The auburn-haired girl whined, applying a fresh coat of gloss to her already shimmery lips.

Amu, who was walking slowly behind her sister, rolled her eyes. She stared at Ami's black heels, and then to the skirt that was pulled up so high it left nothing up to the imagination. How she managed to turn a conservative school uniform into a hooker's outfit was shocking, almost congratulatory. Amu doubted anyone would believe they were sisters. They were complete opposites in every single way.

Honey-colored eyes falling downwards, Amu's black converse shoes came into view and she couldn't help but smile. They had a couple of holes in them, but they had been with her through everything. It was almost worrisome how attached she was to those sneakers.

"…I mean I could help you with your fashion! All you have to do is ask nicely," Ami said sweetly, "and give me fifty bucks."

Amu took another scan of her sister's appearance then shuddered. She would rather stick with her current wardrobe full of jeans and sweatpants.

"Ami, you do know that those heels are no way acceptable in school, right?" Amu asked slowly as they crossed a deserted street.

The younger sister twirled around and flashed her pearly white teeth. "I'll make them acceptable. The uniform is black shoes, skirt, white shirt, and a blazer, right? I can work my magic on every one of those items of clothing." She then glared at the red tie dangling from her neck. "Everything except for this stupid tie. What do I do with that?"

Amu looked down at her own tie, where three safety pins were securely fastened. She was one of the few that actually liked her uniform. She adored the plaid-patterned red skirt – even though it could ride up a little high sometimes. The white shirt had long-sleeves, which was perfect; and the black blazer was the cherry on top.

"Whoa, wait." Ami suddenly stated, sounding serious for once. "Since you're going to the store after school and all that, does that mean I'm walking home alone? Do you know how dangerous that is? I could get _raped_!"

Amu flinched at that word, but quickly found her composure. "You're coming with me to the store and going home along with the groceries. Suck it up, princess; I'll buy you a thing of pepper spray."

The pinkette hurried ahead of Ami and rushed through the front doors of the school, eager to get out of the blistering heat.

The halls of Seiyo High School were already buzzing once again as hormone-driven teenagers swarmed through the building, instantly discussing either who got sexy over summer or who the new couples were.

Seniors bombarded their way through the crowds with their chins held high as if they owned the place, while the freshmen cowered away and stared down at the shiny, tiled floor beneath their new school shoes. Spotting who was in style and who wasn't was easier than most people would think, especially since everyone was forced to wear the same uniform.

For Amu, it was just another school year. Ten months packed with gossip, rumors, drama, heartbreak, and spazzed-out mood swings. Teen years were definitely capable of being implanted in your mind for all eternity. This year wouldn't be any different.

"HINAMORIIIII!"

Before she could figure out how to react, Amu was tackled to the ground by the school's star soccer player, Souma Kukai. They had been friends since the first day of middle school.

Kukai climbed off of the pinkette and stood up straight, cracking his back and exhaling in satisfaction. Like usual, his brunette hair was tangled and fell in front of his emerald eyes. He chuckled while scratching the back of his head.

"Can you move?"

Amu held up a finger before moving her leg, then nodded. "Yup, but I can't get up."

He pulled her up then slung his arm around her shoulders as the two began their walk through the school hallways.

"How was your summer, babe?" Kukai asked while scanning the area for anyone he knew, getting distracted by the occasional hot new girl.

Amu sent him a look. "Don't call me 'babe', you flirt. It was fine; worked for both months. What about you?" She then poked his flat stomach, making him twitch. "Haven't been pigging out too much on cookies, right?"

Kukai had just recently gotten a job at the bakery nearby. Being a teenage boy with a sweet tooth, he had to be under constant supervision, especially while on his break.

He smiled mischievously. "I do 100 sit-ups for every sweet I devour, don't worry."

Amu's look of disbelief didn't go by unnoticed.

Kukai sighed in defeat. "Fine, I only do 50."

The pinkette smiled at the boy. "That's more like it. Doesn't it feel good to be honest?" She teased.

Before any more words could be exchanged, a short blond girl waltzed up to them, too busy texting to look up when she addressed them. "Have you two seen Ikuto anywhere? He's pulled a disappearing act on me."

Amu glanced around then shook her head with a shrug. "No. "

It wasn't all that surprising that Rima turned out to be the high-maintenance type of girlfriend. She and Tsukiyomi Ikuto had gotten together over the break. No one could have predicted it, to be honest. Ikuto was… well, no one really knew what group he was a part of. He was popular and good looking, but, unlike all the other popular teens, he wasn't full of himself and he slept a lot during class.

Rima, on the other hand, was rich and a little bossy at times, but she was a good person deep down.

The crowd to the side of the trio suddenly parted, revealing a tall, slender blond. She slowly removed her large sunglasses, her piercing violet eyes narrowing as she tried to find who it was she was looking for.

Rima and Amu instantly looked over at Kukai, who was already in a daze as he gazed at Utau with hearts in his eyes. Tsukiyomi Utau was the sister of Ikuto, and didn't get along with Rima, never had, never will.

Utau smirked and approached Rima slowly. "Aw, why so sad? Let me guess, Ikuto ran away from you again?" She then laughed; her pearly white teeth nearly blinded everyone in a three-mile radius.

Rima glared at the taller blond. "It appears that you're looking for him, too. If anything, it's _you _he ran away from, not me. You're clingier than I'll ever be."

"I'm not clingy, I'm protective." Utau corrected.

As the two continued to bicker about nothing, Amu sighed deeply and looked around, making eye-contact with Nikaidou-san, the air-headed English teacher. He grinned at the pinkette and waved her over as he tried to balance the stack of boxes in his hand.

"Good morning, Himamori-san! I know this isn't the most polite thing to do, but could you please take these boxes up to the roof for me? I have to go get some more and I'll meet you up there." He said, handing the boxes to Amu. She had to bite her tongue to refrain from correcting him when he said her last name wrong once again. It was a terrible start to the new school year.

Amu tried to peer over the mountain of boxes as she started on her trip. It was almost sad how she had nothing better to do with her spare time. She stumbled through the school slowly, trying her best not to fall. She had to give Nikaidou credit for making it look easier than it was. By the time she reached the roof, Amu felt as if her biceps doubled in size.

She kicked open the door and stepped into the sunlight, making her way across the flat rooftop, trudging through the layers of candy wrappers and newspaper articles that danced across her shoes. Before she set the boxes down, a figure to her side caught her attention.

A boy sat on the ledge of the roof with his feet dangling over the edge. A cool breeze had picked up, tousling strands of his blue hair. With his back to her, he slowly stood up, somehow managing to keep his balance. He stared up at the clouds with his hands calmly in the pockets of his black pants, mumbling something under his breath.

Seeing him lift a foot made Amu quickly speak up, scared she was about to see something that would haunt her forever.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She asked quietly, eyes wide.

The male quickly turned his head, his blue eyes meeting hers. His expression was unreadable – the perfect poker face. After a moment of silence, he turned fully around, stepped down from the ledge and brushed past Amu, disappearing through the door back into the school.

Once she was alone on the roof, Amu quickly breathed out, not realizing she had been holding her breath.

Dropping the boxes on the ground, she slowly turned to stare at the heavy door behind her. Heartbeat echoing in her ears, her breathing finally steadied as the reality of the situation sunk in.

Had she just witnessed the boy who had everything, Tsukiyomi Ikuto, about to commit suicide?


	2. Chapter 2

The restaurant was experiencing a drought in customers.

Amu was sitting in one of the booths, polishing off a table for the third time when her fellow coworker slid into the seat across from her. His golden hair always seemed so perfect. That was probably why he was the only male waiter; every other male member of the team was shoved in the kitchen to hide their faces.

"Having fun?" He asked with a princely smile.

Amu smiled back at him and slouched deeper in her seat. "Oh yeah, washing tables is definitely on the top of my list of hobbies."

Tadase laughed and reached across the table to take the cloth from the pinkette, his hand brushing hers in the meantime. The sudden contact sent shivers down Amu's spine as she gingerly pulled her hand to her chest, watching Tadase unfold and then refold the cloth before wiping down his end of the table.

She unconsciously tugged her sleeve further down when he looked back up at her.

"How long is your shift?" The blond asked, folding his hands on the table.

"Seven hours."

Tadase cringed and took out his phone to check the time. "And you're off at…?"

"Eleven." Amu replied, feeling a sudden jolt of excitement once realizing she could be going home soon.

"Oh, so only twenty minutes! Nice." The blond commented with equal excitement. Everyone was familiar with working a seven hour shift and knew the feeling of relief when it was over.

"Really, only twenty?" Amu asked, not believing how fast time had gone.

"No, I'm just kidding." Tadase said glumly. "You still have another two hours."

Amu's jaw dropped to the table, her eyes widening. There was no way she had only been working for five hours.

She lunged across the table for the phone just as Tadase tried to hold it out of her reach, rising to his feet and holding the device in the air above him. Amu was the shortest member of the team, which could be easily used to others' advantages.

"Tadase-kun!" Amu laughed, sitting back down after giving up trying to reach it.

Tadase chuckled and slid the phone over to her so she could see for herself. "Yeah, yeah, I'm kidding. Now you only have about ten minutes left."

The pinkette exhaled in relief, handing the phone back to its rightful owner. The restaurant had been dead all day, which was usual for a Wednesday night, but it was never as deserted as it was now. One of the chefs in the kitchen had even plugged his iPod in and started blasting Eminem to keep everyone occupied.

Dead days were slow days. They made you feel like you've been standing in one place for 24 hours without permission to move even an inch.

Once eleven finally rolled around, Amu threw on her jacket and pocketed her tips – which were dismal, but she'd survive. Tadase had offered to walk her home, but she still wasn't comfortable walking alone with boys just yet, especially since… _that_ time, so she politely declined.

Amu strolled into the grocery store that was just down the street from her house. She didn't know where she'd find the item she needed, but no way was she going to ask for assistance. She didn't feel like having a rumor start up about her.

The pinkette cautiously made her way through the aisles, glancing around every other second to make sure no one was around. That was when she saw the little box sitting innocently on the shelf next to the Trojan condoms.

She casually knocked it off the shelf and into her bag before continuing down the aisle towards the washrooms. In a hurry, she made sure every stall was empty before locking herself in the one furthest away from the door, where she took out the little pink box.

She quietly tore through the cardboard and ripped open the wrapper, removing the white stick.

She had already gotten her period, but her paranoia got the better of her, even though it was three months ago when… the unspoken of incident happened. She hadn't told anyone and didn't plan to.

After finishing up, Amu washed her hands and picked up the test. One pink line; not pregnant. She already knew that'd be the verdict, but it was still reassuring.

She grabbed the test and exited the bathroom as innocently as she could. It'd be very helpful if the washroom actually had a trash can or two, that way she wouldn't have to take the stick with her.

Just as she exited the room, before the test went into her pocket, the unthinkable happened. Amu stepped on her untied shoelace and face planted to the floor, watching in horror as the test skid further away from her, stopping at the feet of an employee who was stocking the deodorant shelves.

The pinkette watched the teen turn around and in an instant; she scrambled to her feet and hid behind a shelf. The worker, Ikuto, leaned down and carefully picked up the test, making sure to keep his fingers away from any part of the stick that would have traces of urine, and then observed the area from which the test came.

Amu held her breath and silently fled further down the aisles, exhaling in relief once escaping undetected. Why was Ikuto everywhere she went? Well, that wasn't exactly true, since she hadn't seen him since that day on the roof, but they seemed to be around each other at the worst possible moments.

The pinkette pulled her light jacket tighter around her petite frame as she paced down the street lined with houses. She was just glad he hadn't seen her, or that would have been a disaster easily worth using for blackmail.

Wiping her nose with the back of her hand, Amu shuffled up the front steps of her house and rushed inside, eager to be out of the eerie darkness.

Midori sat at the dining room table; glasses perched on the bony bridge of her nose and her head resting in the palm of her hand as she leaned over a stack of papers. She looked up at the sound of the front door closing.

Amu gave a meek wave and started up the stairs, only to be stopped by the voice of her mom.

"Amu, could you come here, please?"

The pinkette's cringe went by undetected as she turned back around and dragged herself into the dining room.

Midori sighed and removed her glasses, staring up at her daughter. "Honey, you know I appreciate you getting a job to help support us, right?" She didn't wait for Amu to reply before she continued. "Well, these numbers aren't looking… any better. Could you take up some more hours at the restaurant? Maybe get another part-time job?"

Amu sputtered out incoherent words, trying to wrap her head around it. Her mom, who now had to be the provider in the family, couldn't just ask for more hours at her magazine company, but instead was relying on Amu to do everything.

Ever since Tsumugu, the man of the house, died a couple months earlier, the Hinamori residence had been struggling, but if anything, it was Amu who was under the most pressure. From having to deal with school, work, extracurricular activities, looking after Ami, running errands for her mom, and doing everything else to keep the house up-and-running, she felt like she couldn't have any time for herself or do anything she wanted to do.

Life for a teenager was stressful enough, but this was just ridiculous.

"Mom, I really can't." Amu said quietly. "I already have so much I have to d-"

"Honey, you go to school, then work, then come home. That doesn't seem like a lot to me." Midori stated and then softened her expression as she placed her glasses back on. "Please, Amu? I want to keep our house and still pay the bills, but I need your help."

Amu turned on her heel, holding back the urge to glare. "We'll see."

Midori smiled gratefully at the pinkette. "I love you, honey! Have a good sleep."

Angrily, Amu charged into her room and locked the door behind her. She threw open the door to her bathroom and grabbed her razor from its place in the shower.

Sliding down to the floor, she pulled her legs to her chest and clutched onto her hair, squeezing her teeth together. Why couldn't Ami get a part-time job instead of Amu having one already but needing another? All Ami did was go to school, look pretty, and act like a total bitch. But apparently that was acceptable in the eyes of Midori.

Amu opened her teary eyes and sniffled, carefully rolling up her sleeve. They say cutting is a good form of relieving stress. She believed that statement. When she cut, it felt like everything she had bottled up inside was being released. Other people would get high or drunk, but this was her escape.

She carefully held the tip of the razor to her skin, slowly dragging it sideways along her wrist, feeling the tingling sensation of her skin ripping open.

Releasing a shaky breath, Amu dropped the razor and leaned her head back against the bathroom counter, letting her eyes droop closed as her thoughts turned to the stinging of the fresh cut that marked her skin.

She felt alone. Like she was the only one in the world going through this. For all she knew, she could have been the only teenager in her school that was suicidal. Everyone else seemed to be happy all year round.

Clearing her throat, the pinkette rose to her feet and set the razor back in its spot.

She discarded her clothes and changed into pajamas before hauling her heavy schoolbag with her to the desk. Even for the first week of school, there was a mountain of homework to be done that was due the next day.

Amu flipped to the first page of her history book and groaned. It would be a long night. 


	3. Chapter 3

_She had just been waiting for her father outside of his office._

The night sky was empty – not a single star in sight. With nothing but the moon and a flickering streetlamp, it was almost impossible for her to see anything, except for when the occasional lights of a car flashed by, illuminating the surrounding skyscrapers.

It was past midnight on a Sunday, everyone was bound to be sound asleep.

She took a few steps away from the wall of her dad's office, walking slowly down the sidewalk. Once going as far as her bravery would allow her, she turned back around and began in the direction from which she came.

It was then that she spotted the older man standing on the curb, a cigarette in his hand and his cell in another. She recognized him – a coworker of her father's. He was a burly man with a permanent straight face. His hair was noticeably greying and wrinkles sat on his forehead. He wasn't an old man, but time had certainly done a number on him.

Upon realizing he wasn't alone, he shut his phone off and smiled at the girl standing just a few feet away. "Cigarette?" He offered, holding out the nearly empty pack.

She shook her head 'no' and smiled apologetically. She didn't particularly enjoy inhaling a toxic that would destroy her lungs.

He shrugged and slid the pack back into his pocket before striking up a conversation with her. "Waiting for your old man, huh?" He clarified.

She nodded meekly before taking a look at her watch. She had been waiting almost an hour and wanted to go home. She had to be waking up for school in just a few hours.

The man looked around then smiled. "Want to see something?"

_**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**___

The lights flickered on and off, and then back on, then off. Amu's eyes refused to open, but she didn't want to see the end of that dream. She knew the outcome and didn't want to relive it. Heart rapping against her ribcage, she wiped the cold sweat from her neck and sat up. Ami stood in her doorway, hand on the light switch.

"It's about time you got up; I was two seconds away from jumping on you." The auburn-haired girl muttered. "You need to go to the store. The grocery list is on the fridge."

Why couldn't _she _just walk the ten minutes to the store? Amu dragged a hand down her face and nodded slowly before shooing her sister out of the room. She didn't have work or school today – something very rare. If it wasn't school she was hurrying to, it was work at the restaurant.

Amu slowly removed her blankets and peeled off her pajama shirt, replacing it with a hooded, grey sweater. After settling on a pair of dark-washed jeans, she threw her hair in a messy pony tail and dug through her desk drawer for a piece of gum. It was now that she just noticed the red, digital numbers glowing on her alarm clock. If the electronic was right, it wasn't even 5 in the morning yet.

The pinkette straightened up and dropped her hands to her side before turning to glare at her closed door. Crossing the room in three strides, she threw open the door and stomped downstairs, where her sister and a bunch of other freshman were. If it wasn't the blaring music that was making her feel sick, it was the sight of her little sister grinding with some jock.

Amu closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to calm down, nearly gagging once the scent of sweat and cheap perfume wafted by.

She pushed through the crowded living room and detached Ami from the boy with a boner.

"What is this?" The pinkette yelled over the music. It took every bit of self-control she had to not smack the grin off her sister's face.

"Oh, Amu, live a little!" Ami cried out. "It's just a little party to celebrate the new school year!"

Amu stared around the room in disbelief. She looked back at her sister and scoffed. "A _little _party? This is insane! Where's mom?"

Ami made it obvious that she didn't care by the shrug she provided as an answer. "Some work thing took her away for the weekend. Didn't she tell you last night? Oh, wait, I was supposed to tell you, because you were working when she left." She then giggled and let out a small 'whoopsies'. "Aaaanyway, go to the store and get what's on the list I wrote up for you. Oh, and you can pass as an 18 year old, right?"

The pinkette glared before exiting the house in a fume of anger. There was no way she would go to the store just to buy her younger sister – who was barely a teenager – alcoholic drinks and other crap she put on the list that Amu didn't bother picking up.

The early morning air nipped at her fingers as she lowered herself to the steps of the house. To resist the persuasive tears lingering behind her eyes, the teenager's gaze flickered up to the sky. She didn't know what she expected to see; an answer, maybe.

Resting her head in her hands, she inhaled the fresh air and rose to her feet. She stepped out onto the sidewalk and began her walk to town, mentally going through names of people who could be awake at such an hour.

She was well aware of the fact that if she even dared to call Rima and ended up waking her up, she wouldn't live to see the next sunrise. Kukai, on the other hand, should have been getting up in just an hour or so to go to work. She'd just have to find something to keep her occupied until then.

Seiyo was a small Japanese town with not many things to do. Sure, there was a mall with a decent selection of items; two grocery stores; a couple corner stores and gas stations… but that was about it. Besides the movie theatre, there wasn't anywhere to go for fun.

Without even knowing what she was doing, Amu threw open the door to the library and stepped inside the heated building. The library was about the only place in town that was open 24/7. She slowly made her way into the deserted lobby, passing only one librarian, who was fast asleep at her desk.

Amu decided that while she was there, she might as well check out the manga section to see if the new volume of Gakuen Alice was out yet. She checked the designated area and sighed. Just her luck, of course it wasn't there yet. She had only been waiting for three months, so why would it suddenly be there when she most wanted it?

While waltzing back through the bookshelves, she couldn't help but feel very self-conscious, almost as if there were security cameras watching her every move. Finally she reached the age-old, dinosaur of a computer and typed in the volume she desired, hoping it might have been shelved differently. If that was the case, she'd spend all day searching the library for it.

According to the computer, the new volume was indeed, in stock. Amu groaned, resting her forehead on the keyboard. Now she decided against her previous idea. Making her way back to the manga section, Amu glanced at the male at a table nearby who sat lazily in the seat, crouched over a book. Not just any book, she recognized it as a volume of Gakuen Alice.

Her jaw dropped and it felt like her eyes were going to roll out. Kukai was reading Gakuen Alice.

She could hear him talking quietly to himself. It was as she got closer that she noticed his cell phone.

"No, not Monday. … I have to help out with the stupid Christmas dance." He reminded the person on the other line. "I don't know, someone signed me up as a prank! … No, not unless I can find a replacement. Dude, I don't know him at all, even if we _are_ partners."

Realizing just how rude she was being by eavesdropping, Amu awkwardly got out of her crouching position and brushed off her jeans.

Tip-toeing over to her friend, she snuck up behind him and blew in his ear. Kukai was to his feet in an instant with the book hidden behind his back, a soft blush gracing his features. He shut his phone, not caring that he just hung up on someone.

"I thought you said you hated girly manga like Gakuen Alice." Amu accused, her eyes narrowing.

"I-I was just reading it to pass time!" Kukai stuttered out quickly.

The pinkette wasn't convinced, but nodded anyway. She was too tired to ask more about it. "Why are you here so early?"

The male shook his head and waved a different book in front of Amu's eyes. "I'm here for the Christmas dance. I got paired up with a senior and I was the partner chosen to come here to get a few books for some unique ideas."

"At 5 in the morning?" Amu arched an eyebrow.

"I couldn't sleep." Kukai replied honestly, scratching his head. "Trust me, if I could, I'd choose to be sleeping right now and come here at 5 in the _afternoon_. My nocturnal brain decided to keep me up all night again. Yippee."

"I didn't know you were on the dance committee. Why are you organizing it so early?"

Kukai let out a loud yawn that woke up the librarian. "Someone signed me up as a prank. And about the early organization thing, apparently they start this early _every _year. It sucks balls, man – uh... woman."

Amu nodded half-heartedly, reaching over to pluck the book from Kukai's hand as he searched for another one. She almost laughed once scanning over the title.

"'How to Make Snowflakes'? Really, Kukai? I could teach you how to make a snowflake; you don't need a book for that." Amu snorted as Kukai snatched the book away in humiliation.

"Well I don't know what kind of crappy book I'm supposed to get!"

Amu's pale fingers lightly dragged along the spines of the many novels, stopping on the famous story, 'Beauty and the Beast'.

"Take this for example. The main symbol in this story is the shining rose." She stated. "Maybe it's the small details that Nikaidou wanted you to pick up."

Kukai hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Roses! Why didn't I think of that earlier? It's the perfect addition to a cutesy little Christmas dance. I'll add it to the list." His eyes then widened once realizing what he had just said. "Oh God, I'm turning into a girl."

Amu patted the brunette's shoulder supportively. "Don't worry, darling. I'll accept you anyways."  
"Who was it you were talking to on the phone?" She asked, deciding to change the subject.

"You sneaky little eavesdropper. It was Rima. I phoned her to get some Christmas-y ideas, but she yelled at me instead."

"I find it amazing how you still don't know that you're never supposed to wake a sleeping girl; especially if that girl is Rima."

Kukai glared at the pinkette. "Well, now I know, thank you very much. She then went on about how I had to make it up to her by spying on Ikuto."

Amu arched an eyebrow, removing another story from off the shelf. "Spy on him, why? I thought they were doing fine."

The brunette threw his arms in the air. "I have no idea. Apparently she thinks he's hiding something from her, but I disagree. I think he has always acted cold and distant towards people, but it's just now that she's finally noticing and has grown paranoid, believing that it's because of her."

Amu frowned. Rima always was one to be quiet, but controlling. If she figured Ikuto was cheating on her, she had nothing to worry about as far as looks go. Her short profile was adorable and her heart-shaped face went perfectly with her long honey-colored hair.

Kukai's eyes suddenly widened as a grin broke out on his face. "Hey! Do you think you could… well… take my place? On the setup crew? I mean, you're clearly better at this stuff than I am!" He gestured to the _Beauty and the Beast_ novel in Amu's hand.

The pinkette's eyebrows slanted downwards in thought. She loved decorating and setting up events, but with her work and school, that could be a challenge. One could multi-task only so much. Then again, this would be something enjoyable for once and not just a bunch of under-paid labor.

Amu shook her head, shrugging. "Sure…why not?"

The brunette pulled her into a suffocating bear hug. "Thank youuuu! Then you could also spy on Ikuto! It won't be too hard, since he's my decorating partner – well, now _your _partner."

Amu's eyes widened. Being partnered up with Ikuto could only end awkwardly. 


	4. Chapter 4

Amu refused to get out of her seat. It wasn't necessarily because she loved English class far too much, but because she now had to meet up with the rest of the 'Christmas Crew' in the cafeteria. She hated the cafeteria. It reeked of rotten sour cream mixed with week-old meatballs and sweaty men.

Her nose wrinkled at the thought, a cold shiver running through her body. Tugging at her sleeves, she groaned loudly and slid out of her seat, sauntering down the long, narrow hallway that was so deserted, it could have been a set in a horror movie.

The pinkette dragged a hand down her face. With a sigh, she heaved open the cafeteria doors and reluctantly stepped inside.

Only two other girls were there so far; one with long tangled hair and the other with bug-eyed glasses.

Amu tied her hair up into a pony tail and sat down. The cafeteria was full of rows of tables, vending machines and tacky posters announcing upcoming school events. With a murky yellow floor that resembled mustard and grey walls, it wasn't the most welcoming room in the school.

She stared up at the wall clock. Her golden eyes pierced through it, begging for the big hand to hurry up and move past the '4' so she could get out of there. The stench was unbearable.

"You know, it doesn't matter how long you stare at it; that clock isn't going to move any faster." A teasing voice said from behind.

Amu spun around in her chair and smiled once recognizing the person. "Are you sure? 'Cause I'm positive I just saw it jump a couple spaces ahead."

Nagihiko let out an airy laugh while lowering his bottom onto the bench beside the pinkette. "Why on Earth is Hinamori Amu sitting in the cafeteria she claims to despise so much? You here for the meeting?"

Amu nodded. "I traded places with Kukai. Apparently someone signed him up as a prank."

Nagihiko nodded slowly before quickly turning to look away, his shoulders noticeably shaking. The pinkette slanted her eyes at her purple-haired friend. "Nagi…" she began slowly, "were _you_ the one who signed Kukai up?"

The purple-haired teen cleared his throat and slowly turned back around to face Amu, attempting to hold back his grin. "That's what he gets for eating my chocolate pudding. Plus, I didn't want to be the only guy doing this!"

Amu rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. Nagihiko and Kukai were always at each other's throats, in a love-hate relationship.

"Oh, hey, so do you know what we were supposed to get for today?" Nagihiko asked. "Apparently Nikaidou told all of us to get a Christmas book for ideas."

"It doesn't have to be the obvious Christmas story." A new voice entered the conversation, making the duo twirl around.

Ikuto removed his headphones and fell into the seat across from them. The blue-haired teen then seemed to recognize Amu and stopped what he was doing, staring at her long and hard. He remembered their last meeting on the roof, it was obvious he did.

"You're… Amu, right?" He clarified slowly. He kept his husky voice quiet as to not attract any unnecessary attention from the other students who were now piling into the room.

Amu could only nod. She was sure that if she attempted to speak she'd just apologize for the roof incident, and she was quite sure he didn't want that to be mentioned.

His sapphire eyes quickly scanned over her, his expression once again unreadable. His lips were pressed into a thin line as he stiffly turned away. They were both aware of the fact that she witnessed something she wasn't supposed to. Amu figured even if it wasn't a failed suicide attempt, sitting on the roof could have been what he did to get away from it all, which someone could find embarrassing if they were ever caught. Not to mention the grocery store incident. She was almost positive that he didn't see her, so she had nothing to fear, but the paranoia was still there.

"What do you mean, 'not the obvious Christmas story'?" Nagihiko questioned, clueless to the drastic change in atmosphere.

Ikuto shifted slightly to look at Nagihiko and only Nagihiko, seeming to purposely avoid eye-contact with Amu. "A story with a Christmas _theme_." He clarified.

Nagihiko's eyes widened as his mouth made an 'o' shape. "That makes sense! Wow… now why couldn't have Nikaidou just said it that way instead of going on about everything ranging from flowers to hippos?"

Amu snuck a look in Ikuto's direction. His chin was rested in the palm of his hand, elbow on the table. His face held a calm expression. He was a closed book and nothing would change that.

The pinkette exhaled loudly and slouched deeper into her seat just as Nikaidou pranced into the room.

"Alright, everyone, get into your partners, please."

"See you later!" Nagihiko stood up and disappeared to the other end of the room, leaving Amu alone with _him_, the one person she really didn't want to be alone with right now. He made her feel so vulnerable.  
Nonetheless, she forced a smile and opened her mouth to start a conversation, only to close it right back up again when he spoke.

"Congratulations." He said quietly, rummaging through his bag.

Amu's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

This time Ikuto looked her in the eyes, chucking something out of his bag and onto the table.

"You're not pregnant."

The pinkette's stomach plummeted. The pregnancy test sat in front of her, tightly sealed in a small Ziploc bag. Lunging forward, she made a grab for it, but Ikuto retrieved it faster and held it tightly in his hand.

The two sat in a dark silence. Amu breathed heavily, attempting to calm down her fluttering heart while running through the scenario in her head. No matter how hard she thought of it, she couldn't figure out why he would keep something like that.

Ikuto slowly leaned forward, folding his arms on the table. He lowered his voice as he spoke again. "I'll keep this our little secret if you keep my secret."

Amu unconsciously leaned forward as well. "What secret of yours?" It was at that instant that she remembered him on the roof.

He must have noticed the look of realization dawn on her, since he nodded. "_That _secret that you're thinking of right now. I'm not going to tell you what I was doing up there, but to make sure you don't go around spreading rumors about me," he waved the small bag, "I'm keeping this."

Amu pressed her lips tightly together, glaring at the boy across from her. She knew she could easily let him show everyone the test and hope no one would believe him, but she couldn't lie for her life. She just knew her face would heat up and she'd spew out nothing but stutters if she attempted to deny the fact that the stick belonged to her. If people knew of that test, she'd risk having everyone look down on her and call her a slut or whore. Bullying was definitely something she couldn't handle right now.

Amu raked a hand through her hair and closed her eyes, inhaling a deep, calming breath. "Okay, fine." She replied finally.

Ikuto sat up straight and stuck the Ziploc baggie back into his school bag. "So, partner. When should we get together to start planning the dance?" He asked casually, as if the past ten minutes never happened.

Great; blackmailed only two weeks into the new school year by the boy she was supposed to work with for the next four months. Everything was just getting better by the minute. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

She never had been a fan of shopping. The idea of plunging further into debt while killing your feet in the meantime didn't exactly strike her as a fun activity. Not to mention the insane old ladies who were so determined to get their discounted prune juice, they'd even go out of their way to take you down with a shopping cart as they charged through the mall.

Amu curled her fingers around a hanger and pulled it off the rack, looking over the white night shirt. Wrinkling her nose up, she hurriedly put it back and cleared her throat while awkwardly scanning her surroundings, making sure no one saw her looking at such a thing. Another thing she didn't like about shopping was the awkward feeling that everyone was watching her. She was an ant under a microscope, every move she made was anticipated.

"Amu! How's this one?"

The pinkette turned in time to see Rima throw open the change room door. The petite blond placed her hands to her sides and twirled around to give Amu a full 360 degree angle of the pleated jean skirt that hung on her hips.

"What do you think?" Rima asked, turning to gaze into the mirror hanging on the wall a few feet away.

Amu shrugged. "I like it. You look cute in anything, you have nothing to worry about."

Rima frowned at her reflection, running a finger along her eyebrow. Without another word, she tip-toed back into the small cubicle to change back into her school uniform.

Yawning widely, Amu slowly turned to look back at the nightshirt. There really wasn't anything that great about it. But everyone knew it was a shirt you'd wear if you had a boyfriend and you wanted to tease him, seeing as how it was made of an almost see-through material and the bottom of the shirt stopped just at mid-thigh. Despite that, she still thought it looked like something that'd be comfortable to sleep in.

"You've been raping that with your eyes for the past hour." Rima stated, slowing to a stop beside her friend. "Just get the shirt." Before any protests could be made, the blond ripped the shirt off the rack and added it to the mountain of clothes she was buying for herself.

"Really, Rima, I don't need any more clothes." The pinkette stated honestly, unconsciously shifting the bracelets on her wrist to make sure they were covering her scars.

Rima slowly turned to stare at Amu with the most dead-panned expression the pinkette had ever seen. "A girl can never have enough clothes, Amu." The short teen budged in front of a couple who were too busy making out to see that they were next in line to pay for their purchases. "Suckers." The blond snickered evilly.

While Rima was busy paying, Amu slowly wandered a few feet out of the store and paused to stare at the signs drilled into the wall, advertising the latest styles. One picture was of a girl in nothing but a stringy pair of panties and a bra, standing on top of a car. To make the whole scenario even worse for the girl's image, a boy was sitting in the front seat of the vehicle, looking up at her. Amu made a disgusted face. How girls let themselves be treated like sex symbols was beyond her.

Over the white noise of the after school mall-goers, a distinctive noise chilled the pinkette to the bone. The sound of a man clearing his throat brought Amu back to the real world, eyes wide as she searched for the source of the noise. If he saw her before she saw him, there could be trouble. She slowly backed into a nearby store, eyes never leaving the burly form of the middle-aged man who had begun walking her way, eyes cast downwards.

Amu scanned the electronics store she had wandered into, desperate for a hiding place. She could feel her heart rate increasing, pounding against her ribcage and throbbing in her ears. Finally she found a display of headphones near the back of the store, which she quickly dove behind and discreetly peaked out from behind it.

The middle-aged man strolled into the store, scanning the shelves of music players and TVs. He then waltzed over to the cashier, taking a camera out of the bag in his hands. A camera he probably used to spy on teenage girls, Amu thought bitterly. His balding head suddenly turned in Amu's direction.

With a gasp, she whirled out of sight, pressing her back against the shelving of her hiding spot. She let her eyes close in hopes of making it easier for her to get her breath back as she wished to disappear.

**OoOoOoOo**

_Her eyes were puffy and stung from the tears that never seemed to end. She walked slowly along the sidewalk, her bare feet tingling from the cold. Her shoes were in one hand, her sweater in the other._

She slowed to a stop in front of her house. Staring up at the balcony of her bedroom, she felt her stomach plunge to the ground as her mouth went dry. If she hadn't gone to the office to find her dad, she would have been safe. She wouldn't have encountered that man and she could be safely asleep in her bed.

Dropping her belongings, she slowly lowered herself to the front steps, exhaling deeply and watching the warm puffs of air get swallowed up by the cold. It mirrored how she felt. All the warmth and happiness she once had was now destroyed. It had been ripped from her.

Letting her head roll back, she sniffled as another set of tears welled up in her honey-colored eyes. The sun was coming up. A new day had begun, but she was nowhere close to wanting to _be around to see another sunrise. Why hadn't she just let him kill her after he was done with her?_

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Amu slowly opened her eyes again and hastily wiped away any signs of tears. Glancing back at the cashier, she saw the man was gone. The weight had been lifted from her chest. She could finally breath.

Before she could run into him again, the pinkette rushed out of the shop and scurried back to find Rima, who had finally finished paying for her clothes.

"Let's go to the food court." The blond proposed, the two friends beginning their journey to the other end of the mall. "Stupid cow at the till didn't even know how to punch in a few numbers. Idiot. I should have just hired someone to go shopping for me."

Amu elbowed Rima in the side. "Be nice!" She laughed, hoping to disguise her wavering voice. "Maybe she was still in the middle of training. If she's new at the job, of course she's going to struggle."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Oh, you're buying the food, by the way." The petite blond stated once they reached the food court. She stared down at her phone and frowned, eyebrows slanting downwards in agitation. "Stupid Ikuto hasn't been answering my texts. Probably too busy flirting with the girls who work with him at that grocery store. Half the time I don't know what that fool is thinking."

"Don't worry about it, there's no way he'd cheat on you." Amu reassured after ordering Rima's signature sushi platter.

Rima shrugged. "It's not cheating that I'm worried about. More the fact that he's probably going to randomly dump me. All guys seem to do that nowadays. They act like they're so in love with you – heck, Ikuto doesn't even do that! But anyways, they act like you're their number one, they text you all night long, then one day they come up to you and say, 'I think we should just be friends'." She scoffed loudly. "I hate boys!"

Amu gave her friend a pat on the back. They managed to find an empty seat and sat across from each other, splitting the sushi between themselves. "You two are still dating. Don't start hating him just yet."

Chewing thoughtfully on a chopstick, Rima's golden eyes suddenly widened. "Hey, you're his partner for the set-up crew dance thinga-majig, right? You could spy on him for me! I originally asked Kukai to, but now he's not exactly partners with Ikuto anymore."

The pinkette swallowed her sushi and nodded. "Yeah, Kukai asked me to spy on Ikuto for him." She stated.

In all honesty, there was nothing she wouldn't do to get out of the awkward partner arrangement. Especially since she was already being blackmailed by the stupid boy. But... it was for Rima; and Rima had been there for Amu any and every time she needed a friend to talk to.

Nodding slowly, Amu slowly took a sip from her water bottle. "Okay, okay. I'll try to get closer to Ikuto to find out all his deep, dark secrets and all that crap."

It was Tsukiyomi Ikuto for crying out loud. He couldn't possibly have that many secrets.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Amu wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as the restaurant door shut behind her and she stepped out into the evening air. Her shift couldn't have ended at a better time. It was just before the dinner rush began, but it was already starting to get stuffy and humid inside.

The pinkette threw her bag on her shoulder and inhaled the cool fresh air, letting her eyes drop closed. The perfect end to a day that, of course, could have been better, but she wasn't one to complain. Tomorrow was the start of a fresh new school week and she was determined to make the most of it.

"Hey, Amu-chan, wait up!"

Amu froze, not because she was told to, but more out of fear. She knew exactly what he was going to ask her. She still couldn't bring herself to allow herself to be alone with a guy.

Tadase slowed down to a stop beside the pinkette and smiled at her. "Want to walk home together?" He asked.

Her heart thumped loudly against her ribcage as her palms started to sweat. She opened her mouth to refuse, but no words came out. She had to remind herself that it was just Tadase. He was probably the sweetest boy she had ever met. He wouldn't do anything like that.

On the other hand, her conscience screamed at her to use her brain. It could have all just been an act he put on in order to take advantage of her when the time was right.

Amu plastered an apologetic look to her face. "Sorry, I'm not walking home. I'm just waiting for my ride."

She hoped he believed her.

The blond nodded, showing he understood. "Alright, cool. I'll see you later, then! Have a good night." He smiled once more at her and waved once he began walking away.

Amu watched his retreating figure in silence, feeling her throat tighten as her eyes watered. She hated herself. Why couldn't she just go back to being a normal teenager who could actually walk home with a boy? Even after a couple months of the incident, she _still _couldn't be alone with a boy.

She bit angrily on her lip as she returned into the restaurant, retreating to the back where the washrooms were. She nodded vaguely to a fellow employee when they passed at the doorway. Choosing a random stall, Amu locked the door and sat at the edge of the toilet seat, reminding herself to wash her jeans after sitting there. Quietly rummaging through her backpack, she removed her small emergency bag and unzipped it. Amongst her stash of tampons, there sat a razor blade.

Wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, Amu picked up the blade and pushed her sleeve over her elbow so her wrist was exposed. The pinkette inhaled a deep, calming breath before pressing the blade into her wrist and pulling it down her skin.

She made a small whimper and yanked the blade away quickly, watching spots of blood rise to the surface. Putting the razor back where it was and zipping up her backpack, Amu ripped off a strip of toilet paper from beside her and wrapped it tightly around her wrist before pulling her sleeve back down and exiting the stall.

She stopped in front of the mirror and stared. The reflection staring back couldn't look more phony. Concealer was hiding the dark circles under her eyes; just that morning she had applied eyeliner to appear more awake; and the fake smile she wore seemed almost convincing. She had gotten good at perfecting her acting when it came to pretending to be happy.

Releasing a long sigh, Amu threw the bloody toilet paper in the garbage on her way out the door and returned outside. It had already gotten darker in the few minutes she had spent inside. Taking out her iPod, Amu threw on her headphones and fast-walked down the street. The streets were noisy jammed with the after-work rush. The lights of cars passing by temporarily blinded the pinkette and forced her to look away. She found herself gazing down a dark alley. She stopped, then slowly turned to face the darkness. She could still picture what had taken place in an area almost identical to it. Where she was carelessly thrown against the brick walls and violated behind a dumpster.

A cold shiver ran down her spine. Wiping her eyes to be rid of any tears, Amu continued on her way. She hated that man for destroying her. He completely changed who she was. She was now paranoid, thinking every single man in the world was a monster.

Hurrying the rest of the way home, Amu hung up her bag and closed to the door behind her with her foot. The house was silent, but the lights in the office were on. Her mom was on the phone, sounding agitated with whoever was on the other line. Knowing she'd just anger her mom more by hanging around, Amu got out her homework and plopped her body down on a couch in the living room.

She really did have to get into the habit of finishing homework either at school or on a Friday or Saturday instead of leaving it to last minute.

Just when silence emitted the air, Ami bounced into the room in a skirt that was too short to be considered a clothing article. Her hair was freshly curled and she sported a strapless top that clung to her torso.

"Tell mom I went to a school football game, 'kay?" She spoke while applying a fresh coat of lip gloss. Smiling at her reflection in the small pocket mirror she always carried, she repeated herself. "O-kay?"

Amu rolled her eyes. "Where _are _you going?"

The auburn-haired teen rose a finger to her lips and smile coyly. "Se-cret." She said in a sing-song voice.

Amu shot her younger sister a warning look.

"Okay, okay," Ami began with a heavy sigh, "this senior guy's having a party. So.. obviously I'm gonna be there." She turned to leave the room, then quickly ran back.

"Do you have a condom?"

Amu nearly dropped her pencil as she whipped her head over to look at her little sister in alarm.

The younger sister laughed. "I'm just kidding! Take a chill pill, man. I'm sure the guys will have some. Like I'd need to borrow yours." With saying that, she spun on her five-inch heel and walked out the door.

Throwing her homework aside, Amu jumped off the couch and ran to the front door, throwing it open. "Ami!" She called out. Ami stopped walking and slowly turned around as Amu closed the door behind her.

"Yeees?"

The pinkette nibbled on her lower lip. She didn't know how to tell her sister she cared about her. She didn't want Ami to do anything she'd regret for the rest of her life. Of course Amu wasn't able to tell her this, since they didn't have a close relationship. It felt too awkward.

"P-please don't do anything you'll regret." Amu said slowly. She hoped Ami would detect the concern in her voice. Clearly she didn't, since the auburn-haired girl whirled back around and continued walking.

"Yup, whatever you say, lady!" Ami called out with a bright smile. She was too excited about the party to listen.

Amu reached out a hand to stop her sister, but slowly curled her fingers into a fist and dropped it back to her side.

Some things you just didn't have control over.

-OoOo

The cafeteria stank even more than normal. Usually the smell was somewhat bearable on Mondays after a weekend of soaking in sanitizer. But today it was the usual old food smell mixed with paint.

Amu wrinkled up her nose, sliding into a seat across from Ikuto.

"Is it just me or does it smell like death in here?" Kukai asked

Amu and Ikuto turned around, staring at the brunette in confusion. "Why are you here?" Amu asked. "I thought you traded places with me."

Kukai groaned, falling into a nearby seat. "Nikaidou said I couldn't quit. But you have to stay in the committee too. We three are now a group. Whoot. Go us."

She didn't admit it out loud, but the pinkette felt instant relief. Being in a group with Kukai wouldn't be as bad as opposed to working alone with Ikuto.

Once everyone had taken a seat, Nikaidou brought out bottles of paint, setting the multi colors on the table in front of him, along with large sheets of paper. He added some sharpies and pencils to the bundle before stopping to face the group and explain what exactly was happening.

"Today we'll be doing some advertising!" He announced. "Half of you will be creating posters while the other half comes up with a theme for the dance. So.. Hikaru, you and your group will make posters. Masayato, your group can brainstorm and come up with a theme. Nagihiko, you guys will make posters. And Amu, your group can also try to think of a theme."

Kukai rolled his head over to look at the two others in his group. "What a party. Let's go to the library. Maybe we can find some inspiration or whatever."

The group eagerly escaped the stuffy cafeteria and wandered their way down the hall in silence.

The graffiti-plastered lockers they passed confused Amu somewhat. Every artist who displayed their talent all over the walls of the school alwaysmade sure to add their name somewhere in the image, making it quite easy for the principal to track them down and suspend them for a week. And yet they continued to call themselves 'geniuses'.

Their punishment when they returned to school was to cover up their masterpieces and promise they'd never do it again. Everyone knew differently, though. Amu figured the principal eventually gave up trying to stop the aspiring artists, since there were no more lockers or walls being re-painted lately.

Kukai led the way into the library, Amu right on his heels so as not to be too close to Ikuto.

The librarian, Yukari, stared over her glasses at them. "Good afternoon, Hinamori-san."

Amu nodded back with a smile.

The three of them decided to split up in hopes of completing their mission at a much faster pace. Kukai headed straight to the history section, while Amu claimed the romantic genre. Ikuto wandered here and there, mostly lingering by the science books.

Coming here nearly every week since freshman year, Amu knew the library pretty well. She also knew exactly where the Jane Austen novels were located. Hardly able to conceal a smile, she rushed over to Pride and Prejudice just to simply admire the cover.

"You come here often?" A husky voice asked from behind.

The pinkette almost didn't want to turn around. Shrugging, she replied, "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Ikuto leaned against the bookshelf beside Amu. Wondering why he was silent, she looked up, finally tearing her eyes away from her novel. His dark sapphire eyes pierced through hers, as if she was a book he was reading. Amu suddenly felt overwhelmingly self conscious and quickly looked away. She could feel her cheeks burning up.

"Why?" Ikuto asked.

At this, the pinkette looked back at him. "What?"

"Why do you come here often?"

"...B-because I like to read..?"

He was making her nervous. She was sure he knew that, too. The way he stared at her made Amu very aware of the fact that he wasn't someone who could be easily fooled. But, she still refused to think of the possibility that he could tell she was lying just now. She came to the library to escape the outside world, not just because she enjoyed reading – which _was _true, but it wasn't the main reason.

After another hard stare, Ikuto finally dropped the subject and nodded, humming quietly to himself as he rubbed his jaw and peered around.

An awkward silence then erupted. There wasn't even a clock nearby to fill the silence, nor a cricket chirping off in the distance. Just the sound of everlasting mute.

"...Do _you _come here often?" Amu decided to ask, not wanting to be rude.

"No."

And a standstill once again.

"Why not?" The pinkette decided to use his tricks against him. He seemed to find this entertaining, since when he looked back at her, there was a small trace of a smirk evident on his face.

"'Cause books are a pain in the ass."

Amu almost choked. "Wh-what? How?"

Ikuto turned his body towards her, continuing to lean against the bookshelf. "They fill your mind with this idea that you really can be a hideous cow and the most popular boy in school will fall for you. Or that if you're new to a small-town school, every guy will love you, especially a pale vampire who sparkles in the sun like a gay pixie."

"Not all stories are like that." Amu defended, shaking her head. "Try reading up on some history if the fiction genre repulses you so much."

"History books are hardly reliable. If the author hated Napoleon, they'd exaggerate the damage he caused. If they loved Hitler, they'd make him seem like he had good intentions." The blue-haired teen explained dryly, followed by a yawn.

The pinkette opened her mouth to interject, but closed it again. His opinions were too set in stone to be changed. .

Amu heaved a loud sigh and shoved Pride and Prejudice back in its' spot on the shelf. "Okay, then! Guess the theme for the dance won't be books!" She exclaimed, turning to walk away.

Hearing his voice again made her stop. "Or it could be exactly that." He stated, thinking it through. "But that's too broad of a theme."

The two thought in silence. As the imaginary clock ticked away, the gears in Amu's head shifted.

"How about fairy tales?" She offered. "The theme could be fairy tale stories... and I guess if people wanted, they could dress up as their favorite characters or something.."

Ikuto took this into thought and nodded slowly. "I might just have to start reading fairy tales now."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Rima impatiently tapped her manicured fingernails against the sticky cafeteria table, devouring the bustling room with her eyes. It was nearly impossible to see through the dense crowd of hungry teenagers who all looked like they were about to feed on the next thing that made eye-contact with them.

She hated high school. It was just full of stress, heartbreak, backstabbers, sluts, and manwhores who ripped hearts out and ate them for breakfast. Rima was in the eleventh grade and couldn't even imagine sticking it out for another year and a half.

Continuing to scan the room, she barely noticed Amu slide into the seat across from her.

"I officially hate English class." The pinkette muttered darkly, stabbing her straw into her juice box. "I don't want to identify the article of the sentence, and I don't give a flying turd about prepositional phrases. Conjugate this." She stuck her middle finger up to the ceiling before exhaling loudly and sinking deeper into her seat.

Rima gave Amu a half-assed pat on the shoulder in attempt to show her sympathy. "Have you seen Ikuto anywhere?" She asked.

Amu sat up straight and cracked open her container of leftovers, sniffing it once before wrinkling her nose and dropping it back down. "Nope."

"But she _has _seen me!" Kukai announced brightly, sliding in beside Rima.

The blond didn't look impressed. "Sweeeeet." She replied dead-panned.

"Who're you looking for?" The brunette asked as he reached over and snatched up the leftover spaghetti that Amu discarded. She handed him the fork as well, even though he'd much rather eat it with his hands to show off his manliness. Or, cave-manliness, as Rima put it.

"Ikuto." Rima muttered in reply, finally dropping her gaze to stare down at her salad. "I'll decapitate him, mark my words."

Kukai laughed, twirling his apple around on the table. "Do you even care about him?" He put his hands up in defense once receiving a glare from the blond. "Don't get me wrong! It's just... I don't know. You seem to just _think_ you like him...but, truth be told, it doesn't seem like he likes you..." He drifted off uncertainly, both girls staring at him.

"They're dating.." Amu pointed out, "I think he would like her if he was going out with her."

Rima suddenly grew very quiet and stared down at her lap. "Um.. well, _I _kind of asked _him_ out.."

Kukai and Amu inched closer. "And..?"

The blond exhaled loudly and blew her hair out of her face. "_And _.. he rejected me, but agreed that he'd only pretend to be my boyfriend so my pride wouldn't be crushed by everyone in Ikuto's fan club." She confessed quickly.

Amu and Kukai's jaws dropped in unison. "WHAT?"

"You guys are _pretending _to date?"

"When were you going to tell us?"

"When are you guys going to break up?"

"Today." Rima replied, rolling her eyes. "That's why I'm looking for him.. I...think I'm falling for someone else." She gave Amu a look, saying she'd tell her later.

Amu nodded in agreement.

Rima stood up quickly as she saw Ikuto finally enter the cafeteria with a herd of friends tagging along. He walked with his hands in his pockets, looking like he'd rather be elsewhere.

Rima waved him over, glaring at the people who attempted to follow him over to their table. They backed off, letting Ikuto be alone.

He climbed onto the seat beside Amu, making her freeze instantly at the sudden company.

"What's up?" Ikuto asked, staring at Rima.

"I want to break up." She stated calmly.

Ikuto shrugged. "Okay."

Kukai glanced at Rima, then back to Ikuto, slowly drinking from his water bottle. Rima arched an eyebrow. "You're not even going to ask why?"

"Do you _want _me to ask why?" Ikuto countered.

There was a tense silence as the two stared at each other. Amu made eye-contact with Kukai, who shrugged and continued devouring the spaghetti in front of him. The pinkette could barely move. She was afraid to make a sound with Ikuto sitting so close to her. She could almost feel his body heat radiating off of him. Then again, she could have just been extremely paranoid.

Finally, Rima looked away, pointing her chin in the air. "It's none of your business."

Ikuto smirked. "That's what I thought." He then seemed to just notice Amu there and turned to look at her. "You okay?"

Amu glanced in the opposite direction, avoiding his eyes. "I'm fine." She replied meekly, feeling her voice waver.

As soon as she replied, Ikuto got up and left, assuming he was no longer needed at the table, which was true.

Amu let out the breath she had been holding in and wiped her sweaty palms against her uniform. He was terrifying.

Rima turned her attention to Amu, her nervousness going by undetected. "What block do you have next?"

Amu took a quick drink from her juice before replying. "Spare. Why?"

"Want to ditch for the rest of the day? I'm staying the night at your house." Rima suddenly decided.

The pinkette couldn't remember what her reply had been, but the next thing she knew, the two friends had stopped at a cafe and then she was unlocking her front door and letting Rima inside. The place was empty, of course, since Ami was still at school and Midori was working. Amu loved an empty house. It was comforting and she could relax.

Rima flung her bag onto Amu's bed and crashed down next to it, rolling over to gaze up at the ceiling. Amu pushed open her blinds to let the warm sunlight splash off the pale yellow walls and fill the rest of the room with light. It was only autumn and she already wished for summer to be here.

In an instant, Amu sat cross-legged beside Rima, urging her to tell her who it was that she liked and how it all started.

Rima cleared her throat and sat up, trying and failing to hide her blush. "Okay.. so, I don't know how it happened.. but.." She began playing with her hair to keep her hands busy. "I always found him rather annoying and obnoxious.. but.. he's a really good guy.. and.."

Amu was silently hoping it was Nagihiko. Nagi and Rima never got along, so it'd be adorable if they eventually got together. Everyone figured Nagihiko was gay, though, since he didn't seem to take a liking to any of the girls at Seiyo High.

"It's Kukai." Rima confessed before burying her face into one of Amu's pillows.

The pinkette's heart plunged to her stomach and nearly flew out her ass. Kukai was madly in love with Tsukiyomi Utau. Everyone knew that. If Rima truly liked him, she'd only end up getting her heart broken by her blond enemy.

Nevertheless, Amu faked a smile – something she had perfected in doing – and gave out a girlish squeal. "No way! You two would be an adorable couple!" She exclaimed happily.

She sat in silence as Rima went on about how adorable Kukai was. Amu had never seen Rima like this. She was always so cold and aloof when it came to liking someone. Never was she ever bouncing up and down giggling about a boy. Not just any boy – _Kukai_. The guy she had always treated like a servant.

"He's just- I don't know." Rima gushed. "But I really like him. Do you think I should tell him?"

'No' Amu wanted to say. If Rima did, Kukai would apologize and say that he liked Utau, then Rima would be heartbroken and Amu would feel at fault since she didn't do anything to stop it all from happening.

Before Amu could reply, Rima suddenly decided that she'd wait for a little while longer before confessing her feelings. The setting would have to be absolutely perfect, aswell.

The blond then turned to Amu, staring her down. "What boy has _your _heart?" She asked slyly.

Amu chuckled and rolled her eyes as Rima glanced down at the magazine she had pulled out from under the bed.

The pinkette jumped at the feeling of her phone vibrating against her thigh and quickly pulled it out of her pocket. The text from Kukai told her to meet at his house to work on planning for the dance.

Amu nearly groaned. She had too much homework to work on and tests to study for. Planning for the dance was the last thing she wanted to do. A dance she most likely wouldn't even end up going to anyways. Planning for such a thing would just be a depressing reminder.

"Hey, Rima, I have to go to Kukai's to help with the dance, do you want to stay here or come with?"

In an instant, Rima was to her feet and running out the bedroom door and down the stairs to get her shoes on.

Amu sighed and dragged her body down the stairs after the blond who was standing with the door open, itching to hurry up and get moving. Of course she wouldn't pass up a moment to spend time with her precious Kukai.

Thankfully he didn't live that far away, so the two could easily walk over without it being a hassle. It was while they were walking that Rima confessed how jealous she was of Amu for living so close to the sexy Souma Kukai. Amu almost shuddered. Kukai was good looking, yes, but sexy was an adjective Amu would never use to describe her male best friend. She didn't have those feelings for him whatsoever. But he _was_ the only guy she was comfortable being alone with.

The moment spent talking with Ikuto in the library suddenly came up in her memory. They were ...alone, weren't they? And Amu didn't feel the need to run away out of fear. Amu mentally shook her head. She was probably just comfortable around him because she knew Kukai was close by and if she needed to, she could scream bloody murder so everyone else in the library could hear.

Even though that's the verdict she decided on, she still couldn't shake off the suspicion that she felt safe around Ikuto. Of all people, it was the person who scared her the most. He was too mysterious for his own good, and it got on her nerves.

After knocking on the front door of the Souma residence, the front door opened to reveal Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Amu nearly turned around and walked home.

Her eyes slanted at him. "Why are you here?"

"We have to work as a group, don't we?" He pointed out, amused by the look she was giving him.

"Where's Souma?" Rima interrupted impatiently.

Ikuto nodded over his shoulder, opening the door wider as Rima pushed past him.

He then turned back to Amu, raising a brow at her. "You going to come in?"

The pinkette watched in silence. He was _trying _to get on her nerves, she was almost positive of it. How he seemed to be everywhere lately was really giving her the chills.

"I'm still trying to figure you out." Amu confessed after moments of silence.

This seemed to pique Ikuto's interest, since he closed the door behind him and stepped closer to her. "I can't possibly be that confusing."

They were alone and she wasn't scared. She daringly took a step closer to test her theory. As suspected, she still didn't feel the need to run away. He was intimidating enough to make her heartbeat speed up and her hands sweat, but not in a way of making her fear for her life.

"Oh, but you are." Amu replied. "I don't know whether to trust you or to have nothing to do with you."

He smirked, stepping closer. "Are you so skeptical with every boy you talk to?"

She in turn inched forward to show he didn't have as much power over her as he believed he did. At least, she hoped that's the impression she gave off.

"Only the scary ones." She replied.

Ikuto took another step forward so he was now right in front of Amu, staring down at her. The top of her head just barely reached his chin. Now that he was close enough for her to smell the clean, soapy scent he carried, the pinkette could feel her heart speeding up. She had to admit, he could be very, very intimidating when he wanted to be.

His gaze lingered from her eyes, to her nose then her lips, then traveled back up to her eyes "What are you scared of, Amu?" He asked quietly.

Standing in silence, Amu swallowed thickly, not taking her eyes away from his midnight-blue orbs.

"You."

**Cate: Forgot to mention, I've been working on an Alice in Wonderland fic using Shugo Chara characters. Should I continue with it and upload it? Yay or Nay?**

**Love you all. You are amazing and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Or I might have to rip their face off – with my TEETH!**

**P.S. Can anyone guess what movie this is from?**

**"Hey I've been turned into a cow... can I go home?"  
"You're excused."**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Amu lay motionless. Her heavy blankets tangled around her legs while her pillows lay scattered about the mattress, one managing to stay in place underneath her head.

Her alarm clock read noon. She had slept in and missed the first two blocks of school. She could have rolled out of bed right now and gotten there late, but she found it pointless to rush to get ready, only to get there in the middle of third period with an hour more to go until it was time to walk back home. Hinamori Amu was skipping school. Saying that in her head made her feel like such a rebel. She might have even smiled if she wasn't feeling so lifeless.

Honey-colored eyes glancing at the calendar that sat on her desk, the pinkette could only stare at the date – one of the reasons she didn't want to move. It was the 3rd. The four month anniversary of her dad's death.

She hadn't admitted it out loud since she had to remain strong for everyone, but she missed him. So much that words couldn't explain. And it was _her _fault he was gone. If she hadn't told him...

Amu squeezed her eyes shut and stuffed her face into her pillow. What she missed most about him was how dramatic he could be. Now, if he was alive and you asked her what it was she hated most about him, she'd answer saying his over-emotional personality. But now she found herself missing it.

It was almost every day she got home from school that he'd sit her down at the table and make sure she hadn't met any boys that stole her heart. Countless times he warned her about boys and how they were nothing but monsters – he couldn't have been more right.

Tsumugu was lovable but could easily get on people's nerves. He'd burst into tears of happiness just at the sight of Ami twirling around in a pretty new dress, or would clap his hands in approval whenever Amu gave him the cold shoulder. He took credit for her being able to have self-control and not give into the famous Tsumugu puppy-dog eyes.

He also hated the idea of students having jobs while still in high school. He believed teenagers – girls especially – should focus on their education and nothing else (especially not relationships) that way they'd enter the real world knowing what to expect and how to deal with it. If Tsumugu knew Amu was thinking about taking up _two _jobs, she was sure he'd toss around in his grave.

Amu remembered walking into the kitchen one day and overhearing Tsumugu having a conversation with Midori about their eldest daughter. Tsumugu shared the idea of following Amu around everywhere in secret while carrying a bamboo stick to beat anyone with if they dared even _blink _in his daughter's direction.

Midori had told him that she'd have him be put away in an insane asylum if he ever did such a thing.

Tsumugu had stated something along the lines of, "I believe that girls should be their gorgeous selfs and stay innocent of relationships and boys until marriage!" Then he had included, "And while dating, couples should not go past a good high-five or a fist bump! And dating is to be reserved until you've reached your thirties, of course!" He had quickly added in once seeing Amu enter the room. She had just rolled her eyes and turned back around to go upstairs.

Amu smiled sadly at the memory. He drove her crazy back then. But now she wanted nothing more than to have him be his over-protective self and ask her how her day had gone. If he was still around, he'd most likely be sitting on the edge of her bed holding a tray of his famous burnt cookies he claimed had extra nutrition. He'd be concerned, unlike the other people in the household.

Inhaling a shaky breath, Amu closed her eyes and curled deeper into her blankets. She wanted to cry, but it didn't do any good. So instead, she decided she'd rather just die. It's not like she had anything to live for, anyway.

Dragging her limp body out of the ocean of blankets, the pinkette stumbled across the room to her bag and pulled out the small blade tucked in her tampon stash. Sliding down to the floor, she leaned her back against the wall while letting the blade drag through an untouched patch of skin on her wrist. Deciding the stinging of her arm was more bearable than usual, she gritted her teeth together and created another mark, this time making it cross over one of the healing scars, causing it to reopen. One cut after another, she sat in silence, carving more lines into her wrist. Maybe she could just bleed to death.

That's when the new package of Tylenol flashed into her mind. It sat in her washroom cupboard, untouched. 26 tablets of pain relief. She could end it all in just a matter of seconds.

The small blade slid out from between her fingers and clattered to the hardwood, spots of blood painting it red. Amu staggered to her feet and made her way towards the washroom, stopping when her phone started to vibrate. Her gaze flashed from the bathroom cupboard that sat in plain view, then to the phone on her desk two feet away.

Despite not particularly wanting to talk to anyone, her hand automatically reached out and picked up the phone.

"..H-hello?" She had to admit, she was mighty convincing at sounding like she wasn't just about to go overdose.

_"You okay?" _

That husky voice was all-too familiar. Amu actually ended up glaring at the phone.

"I'm fine. What do you want? Going to tell me something creepy, like you're watching me from my balcony?"

It seemed just like him to find out her fear and use it against her. She could swear she thought she heard him laugh faintly at her sarcastic question, even though it was lacking sarcasm in her mind.

_"No. I never tell my victims where I watch them from, duhh."_

At this Amu had to smile. Just slightly. "What do you want, Tsukiyomi?"

_"Why aren't you at school? Ditching like the rebel you are?"_

Amu waltzed over to her washroom and unraveled herself a long strip of toilet paper, which she began wrapping around her wrist as she lowered herself onto her bed. "I slept in. Why do you care?"

_"Ah don't flatter yourself with crazy ideas. Kukai told me to call you to see if you were still alive and breathing, which, it sounds like you are, so that's a good sign."_

Remaining silent, Amu shrugged. Might have also been good if she was dead. This she kept to herself, though.

There was silence on the other line for a moment, making Amu wonder if she was supposed to say anything. She opened her mouth to reply, but closed it once Ikuto spoke again.

_"Are you sure you're okay?" _He asked.

Amu frowned. She thought she sounded convincing enough when she said she was fine the first time. "Yeah, I'm doing fine. Just sitting here, reading." Lies, lies, lies.

There was another pause from Ikuto. _"Uh-huuuh.." _He didn't sound convinced, but didn't dwell on the topic either. _"It's not because of me, is it?"_

"What?" Amu question, her eyebrows slanting downwards as she rolled onto her side, switching her phone over to the other ear.

_"I'm not the reason you're skipping school?"_

"Don't flatter yourself." The pinkette replied, imitating Ikuto. She smiled at the impression before rolling onto her stomach. "No, I just needed a day to myself – I've been long overdue for one." That was semi-true, so she didn't feel as guilty to say it.

_"Okay, well I have to go attend class like the good child I am." _

"Alright. Oh, and for the record, you're hardly a good child. I heard that you sleep during every single class." Amu retorted.

In an instant, Ikuto's tone changed to flirty.

_"Ahh I see Amu-chan's been asking about me." _He teased.

"H-Have not!" Amu stuttered. "It's just common Seiyo High knowledge."

_"Uh-huh, sure. Anyways, I'm going now."_

"Okay, bye." The pinkette was about to hang up, but stopped when Ikuto added in one other thing.

_"Oh, and Amu?" _He paused._ "You can trust me. I don't want you to be scared of me." _With saying that, the line went dead, leaving Amu alone in her thoughts.

She shut off her phone and dropped it on the bed beside her before rolling onto her back. Amazingly enough, she was now in a better mood than before the phone call. Didn't matter what Ikuto said, though, she didn't think she'd ever be able to trust the likes of that guy. Talking on the phone was one thing, talking in person was something entirely different. On the phone she could be herself a little more than when standing just a few feet away from him.

But even though she warned herself against it, a part of her wanted to trust Tsukiyomi Ikuto, and thats what scared her the most. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Cate: Hey there! So it's 1 AM over here and I'm writing this instead of reading To kill a mockingbird for English class. Rebeeeel. I need to get my ass to Japan.. siiigh. Summer, come sooner! 2 weeks left of school for me, then the oh-so lovely exam week. But that's okay! If you spend too much time complaining, you won't notice the beauty of what's around you. Oh and I'm hoping to include more characters in the story and not have it focus just on Amu.. sooo I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 9**

Kukai could have sworn he was being followed. The school day was about to begin with barely any students already at the school. He was one of the few who actually got to school on time and not just seconds before or after the late bell. Yet even with a few amount of students, he felt a pair of eyes on him at all times.

He stopped at his locker and slowly entered the combination into his lock while he checked his surroundings with his peripheral vision. All that could be seen was a garbage can across the hall, lines of lockers, and Nikaidou, who was busy taping up posters with his back facing the teen.

Dropping his heavy duffel bag to the bottom of the locker, Kukai grabbed his water bottle and shut his door, nearly jumping when seeing someone was standing behind the small door.

"H-hey Utau." He greeted meekly with a short wave.

Utau was sporting her usual pig-tails and famous look of pure evil. "'Sup, Souma."

Kukai was not exactly enjoying the evil glint in the blond's eye, but shrugged in reply, even though he wasn't sure if she intended that to be a question or just a greeting. He stood in an awkward silence, waiting for her to continue.

"Kuuuuu-kai." A hauntingly creepy voice called softly.

The hairs on the back of the brunette's neck stood straight up as he spun around.

"Yaya, what are you doing?"

Yaya, a small, auburn haired girl who indulged on far too much sugar a day, slowly dragged herself across the floor, stopping at Kukai's feet. "Was that a protein bar I saw you eating?" She asked.

She never usually was one to be the creepy type, but if she started the day off without breakfast, she was either a zombie for the rest of the day, or just plain unconscious.

Opening his locker once again, Kukai reached in for the half-eaten bar of protein and handed it to Yaya, who took it quietly and slowly dragged herself back over to behind a garbage can, not breaking eye-contact with Kukai until the garbage can blocked her vision.

Utau stood with an arched eyebrow and crossed arms. "What was _that_?"

Kukai shut his locker and started making his way down the hall with Utau following in suit. "Just Yaya. She's not normally so...hostile." They walked in silence until reaching the boy's change room, when Kukai awkwardly turned around expectingly, waiting for Utau to say what she intended to.

"What makes you think I need something from you?" Utau asked as innocently as she could, which came out sounding just plain suspicious.

The brunette pretended to think, twisting his water bottle around in his hands. "Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that we don't really...talk all that much. Clearly you need something. What can I help you with?"

There was a hesitant pause. The blond pretended to be distracted by something posted to the bulletin board: An announcement that tryouts for the volleyball team were on now. "Don't you need good grades to be on any of the sports teams?" She asked, glancing at Kukai.

He leaned a shoulder against the wall, still fiddling with his water bottle. He had been crushing on Tsukiyomi Utau for as long as he could remember. Having a one-on-one conversation with her was driving his heart crazy. If he didn't sit down, he feared he'd end up having a heart attack. Either that or the organ would just get up and smash through his ribcage and roll onto the floor in front of him.

"Yeah, you do. At least a C in every class." Kukai replied.

"Ohhh..." Utau mused, pretending to be interested as she nodded slowly. "So that means you have good grades?"

"..Yeah.."

"Even in math?" She clarified.

Something told Kukai that she already knew the answer to that question, which was the very reason she hunted him down.

"Are you asking me to help you in math?" He questioned.

Utau was never one to ask for help. Her pride wouldn't allow her to sink to such a low level. It must have been a Tsukiyomi family trait, since Kukai knew that Ikuto also wouldn't ask for help or refuse a challenge unless he absolutely had to.

"_Only _because my gay-ass math teacher thinks I'm concentrating too much on choir and not math," Utau began heatedly, "and can you blame me? I hate math. It's stupid and it deserves to go crawl into a deep, dark hole, and die, along with all my haters and all the people _I _hate. Could you tutor me?"

Kukai was worried for his life, to be honest. "How did you know I'd be good at math..?"

Utau folded her arms and looked away, reluctant to answer. "My teacher recommended you."

Thank the Lord for that. Kukai would have to remember to thank Nikaidou-sensei – even though he still wouldn't let Kukai quit the dance set-up committee. Nonetheless, it all seemed to be working perfectly for the teen.

"Yeah, of course I will." He replied with a smile. "How about we talk later to work out which days and times work best?" In all honesty, he just wanted an excuse to speak with her again, this time maybe with witnesses so they wouldn't believe him to be hallucinating when he told his friends she'd came to talk to him.

"Every Tuesday and Thursday from three to five, starting today." Utau stated, examining her nails. "I'll give you my number later so I can text you my address. See you after school." With saying that, she spun on her heel and walked gracefully down the hall, which was now filling up with students.

Kukai was left dumbfounded. He supposed it didn't matter to her that he had a part-time job, an upcoming game, a dance to plan, and now a tutor job. He just hoped he'd be able to work it all according to her time-frame.

Taking a quick glance at the wall clock, the brunette pushed open the door to the change room and waltzed inside. Nagihiko was already there, getting his basketball shoes on. He looked up and acknowledged Kukai with a smile and nod as the brunette walked past to get to his locker.

Glancing to his side, he nodded to the male at the locker a few away from his own. "Morning sunshine!"

Ikuto glared at him. "Ew."

Kukai pretended to look offended. "I'm sexy and you know it."

Tugging off his shirt, Ikuto 'hmmed' in reply. "Oh, well of course I know that. The 'ew' was made for the word 'morning' that you spewed from your mouth like a toxic chemical." At that moment he yawned and dragged a hand down his face tiredly.

Kukai sent him a concerned look as he changed into his basketball uniform. "You seem tireder than usual." He commented as Ikuto began tying his shoes.

"Is 'tireder' even a word?" The older male asked.

"I don't know! Answer the question."

Ikuto stood up off the bench and raised an eyebrow at Kukai. "You didn't ask me a question." He pointed out slyly, smirking at Kukai's embarrassed blushing reaction. "Your sexiness is getting in the way of your intelligence, oh young one."

Kukai winked. "You're just jealous."

The two shared a light laugh before making their way out onto the basketball court.

Nagihiko followed behind them, chuckling and shaking his head at the two friends. "The way you two act around each other makes everyone wonder if you truly are straight."

They personally didn't see anything wrong with being gay, but admitted that they were indeed straight, despite how they acted when with each other. When you're close to someone, it doesn't seem to matter how you behave.

The coach got the team together and ordered them to get a partner and start on passing drills.

No one really knew the coach's name. At the beginning of each year, he'd tell his students to call him 'Coach', and they obliged in fear that he'd sit on them otherwise. Coach was a short man with a large gut and muscular thighs that were rumored to be able to smash through brick walls. He often was unable to hold onto a soccer ball or basket ball due to how small his hands were. Coach was an odd one. If you got on his good side, you'd love him and he'd love you back just as much, otherwise he'd make your life a living hell.

Kukai jogged with Ikuto around the gym, practicing passing the ball from one to the other.

"Are the new cheer leaders practicing this morning as well?" Kukai asked with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle. "Hey, what's with that look?"

"My sister's on that team, man." Ikuto replied, dropping the evil stare he was giving his friend. "So, I really couldn't care less to see her prancing around with her skirt shooting up."

Kukai grinned, throwing the ball back to Ikuto. "But that's the best part."

All partners jogged back to the center of the gym after Coach had blown his whistle. Just as he was giving off more orders on what to do next, the gym doors opened, and in walked the group of long-legged cheerleaders, already in uniform and ready to seduce.

Kukai's eyes were on the girls like magnets, whereas Nagihiko didn't seem too interested, and Ikuto turned his attention back to Coach.

He found girls attractive, yes, but not when they wore clothes that left nothing up to the imagination. He knew that if he had a girlfriend who dressed like that, he'd be embarrassed beyond belief, which is why he was hoping to find a girl with some modesty. All the girls that confessed to him made his stomach churn because of how much skin they were showing, which is one of the reasons he'd reject them. Not to mention he hardly knew the majority of them.

"R-Rima?" Kukai's eyes bulged at the sight of the petite blond. She always made fun of the cheerleaders and yet, there she was, in a cheer leading uniform.

Rima hid the evil glint in her eye as she silently complimented herself on coming up with such a genius idea. Now she could be around Kukai even more. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"You're a cheerleader now?"

The library had nearly cleared out entirely as everyone was eager to retreat to their homes at the instant the dismissal bell rang, leaving two figures seated in their chairs at one of the many desks located about the room.

A history textbook lay wide open with stray papers scattered on top of it and a pile of notes sat stacked messily beside it, nearly drowning under the amount of eraser bits that littered the table.

Amu sat with her finger marking the spot she had to continue reading from, turning her gaze towards her petite blond friend who sat across from her, painting her nails. She claimed it was just a small break from studying, even though this 'break' seemed to be lasting for almost an hour now.

Rima nodded. She acted as if she didn't see anything out of the ordinary with that one piece of information, whereas Amu was so surprised she almost didn't believe her. But everyone knew that Rima wasn't the joking type. Anything she said was either a lie or the truth. Something told Amu to go with the second option right now.

The pinkette opened her mouth then closed it again, eyes dropping to the page. She idly started tapping her pencil against the textbook. "...Why?" She finally spat out.

"It's actually a pretty genius plan." Rima commented before blowing on her wet fingernails. She shifted her seat closer to the table and leaned forward, dropping her voice. "That _Tsukiyomi Utau_ is on the cheer leading squad, which means she gets to spend more time out of school hours with Kukai than I get to. _So_, of course I had to join the team so I'd be able to keep an eye on them and make sure she doesn't fall for his charm! Besides.. it's bad enough that Kukai's madly in love with her. I might have to hire an assassin if they both end up having feelings for each other."

Amu was nodding along slowly, carefully processing every word the blond said. She placed her pencil down and folded her arms on the table in front of her, deciding to lean forward as well. "So, in other words...you joined just because of a guy?"

Rima scoffed. "It sounds bad f you put it that way. I'm not _that _desperate. Maybe a major selling point was the fact that I was allowed to prance around in practically nothing."

The two friends shared a quiet laugh, perfectly aware that the librarian was watching them closely.

Leaning back in her chair, Amu picked up from where she left off reading while Rima continued with her nails, this time she began filing them after putting the nail polish back into her purse. Her golden eyes slowly moved up to Amu, preparing herself to do a quick study of her reaction before she asked, "Do you have your eye on anyone?"

The pinkette slowly tore her eyes away from the book and shrugged, shaking her head. Rima's shoulders sagged. She didn't find anything suspicious in Amu's facial expressions, meaning she was telling the truth.

"No one at all?" The blond pressed. Her nail filing had become more intense. Smoke was nearly blasting off her fingernails.

"I don't have time for guys." Amu replied, flipping the page. "My main focus right now is keeping my spot on the honor roll."

Rima nodded impatiently, waving her hand. "I know there's someone, Amu." She said in a warning tone.

The pinkette slowly sunk deeper into her chair as she let her mind wander. Was there _really _someone, or was Rima just trying to get a reaction out of her, like usual? Truth be told, Amu hadn't exactly given guys a second thought. She had been completely turned off by the idea of having a boy to like. In the past, it always seemed that whoever she had liked never liked her back. She wasn't all too eager to get herself back into that hopeless routine.

"_Anyone_?" Rima repeated, noticing the hesitation.

A warm blush graced Amu's cheekbones as she glanced up at Rima through her bangs. "Well... there is this one.._possibility_." She tried gingerly.

"You're going to tell me more, right?" Rima didn't look impressed when Amu gave such a vast response.

Amu rested her elbows against the table, chin in palms. He was..charming. He could talk to her and it wouldn't be awkward. Sure, it could sometimes be weird, but isn't that how it always is when you're in front of a guy you might possibly like?

"His name's..Tadase. He works with me." The pinkette sputtered out.

The petite blond nodded, smiling approvingly at her friend. "That ...oh, I think- did I meet him in the summer?"

Amu gave a short nod. "I think so."

Speaking of Tadase.. Amu had barely gotten any shifts with him lately. Work was always more enjoyable with him around. He was one of the very few people she could actually talk to and keep a decent conversation going with. Otherwise it'd be five hours of being on her feet with absolutely no social interaction apart from plastering a phony smile while greeting snobby costumers who lived in their own little world.

Amu's eyes shot over to the entrance of the library, where she saw Kukai walking past the many windows, attempting to fit all his books into his bag.

"I'll be right back." She hurried towards the library door and after the brunette. If she told Rima that her lover boy had just walked by, Amu was almost positive she'd then find herself wearing a pair of sunglasses and a hat so they could spy on him in disguise.

"Kukai!" She called, slowing her pace as she reached him.

He grinned at her while continuing to stuff books into his bags. "Hey Hinamori. What's happening?"

Amu reached over and took the bag away from him and set it on the ground before also grabbing his books, kneeling on the ground to make them fit into the bag. What he was doing clearly wasn't working.

"You have a game Thursday night, right?" The pinkette clarified, removing some scrap pieces of paper from the bottom of Kukai's bag.

The brunette had now joined her with sitting cross-legged on the floor, not caring that they were being glared at by the people who had to walk around them. Heaven forbid they were forced to get more exercise.

"Why yes, yes I do." He replied.

"Okay, thought so. What time?"

Kukai raked a hand through his hair while squinting his eyes. "Seven..? I think.. Yeah, seven. Why? You're not coming to watch are you? I thought you weren't into basketball!"

Amu shrugged. "I'm not, but I figured I should watch at least one of your games! Especially 'cause I'd feel bad since you were concerned about me on Friday and all..bu-"

"What'd I do Friday?" The brunette asked as they rose to their feet. He dusted off his butt before stretching his arms out, long overdue for a visit to the chiropractor. He loved that guy. Worked miracles.

"On Friday when I wasn't here and you got Ikuto to call to make sure I was okay..?" Amu tried again with a small laugh. Kukai never did have a good memory.

"Uh..I didn't even know you were gone on Friday." Kukai admitted sheepishly. "I was wondering why the cafeteria table seemed so quiet, and now I know it's 'cause you weren't there! The world makes sense again."

Amu narrowed her eyes and threateningly made a fist with her hand. "You didn't even notice I was gone?"

Kukai snatched his bag back out of her grasp and threw it over his shoulder before he fled down the hallway to escape the death aura emitting from the pinkette. They had been friends for more than six years and he was oblivious to when she wasn't at school? And it's not even like she was one of those people that skipped out _all the time_.

She continued glaring at his retreating figure before scoffing loudly and turning on her heel, rolling her eyes in the meantime. Then again, this was Kukai, and even the hugest things could escape his attention. If someone said the saying 'acknowledge the elephant in the room' he'd actually turn around and search for an elephant, then get pissed when he couldn't find it.

Amu exhaled loudly while throwing open the library doors. She had had enough of studying and math and everything having to do with school, and it was only October. She already needed a vacation away from all the stress. Perhaps to Hawaii...or the arctic. Didn't matter to her just as long as she had some peace and quiet.

The pinkette slowed her pace as her eyebrows furrowed. If Kukai didn't notice she was gone on Friday...then Ikuto..

Rima glanced up at her friend, raising her eyebrows. "You going to stand there all day or will you sit?"

Amu gave a slow, distracted nod while lowering her bottom into the foamy chair. The phone call wasn't Kukai's idea.

The pinkette's heart started to flutter for no apparent reason as she casted her eyes downwards to her textbook. That meant..it was Ikuto who noticed she was gone, and was concerned enough to check to see if everything was alright. Kukai didn't tell him to..he _wanted _to make sure she was okay.

**.com**

**^ Check it ooout. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Amu fiddled with the edges of the blank paper sitting on the desk in front of her as her forehead creased in concentration. Nibbling on her lower lip, she picked up her pencil once again and placed the tip to the paper before dropping it back down, as her mind was still blank.

"Writing is easy." The pinkette recited to herself, "All one has to do is sit at a typewriter and open a vein." She had seen a poster in her English classroom that said something along the lines of that. Here she was, more than willing to open a vein to find the right words to spill onto the paper.

Not just _any _words could be settled for, though. With heavy persuading from Rima all week, Amu was finally ready – more or less – to write Tadase a love letter. Rima had planned it all out: Amu would call Tadase and invite him to Kukai's basketball game, then when the opportune moment arose, she'd shyly hand him her love letter and he'd accept her love and they'd live happily ever after.

Amu felt her cheeks heat up. Shaking her head vigorously to be rid of the thoughts, she cleared her throat and straightened her posture, turning her eyes back to the blank, lined sheet of paper. They made it look so easy in movies, so how was it so hard when it came to writing your own confession?

Just when a spark of inspiration flickered in the back of her mind, Amu's bedroom door was flung open, and Ami strolled in.

Her pajama shorts barely covered her bottom and the top she wore displayed her bellybutton perfectly. The auburn-haired girl wandered through the always-tidy room and stopped at Amu's closet. After rummaging silently through the clothes, she emerged from the heap of fabrics and frowned.

"Got anything relatively _decent _looking?"

Amu sent her an unimpressed look before turning so her back was facing her younger sister.

Ami's eyes fell on the carefully planned outfit sitting on Amu's bed. In an instant, the shirt was in her hands and a grin was on her face. "This! Can I wear this today?"

The pinkette glanced over at what her sister was referring to. It was her gray, knit sweater-dress with the occasional small black heart embedded into the material. In other words: her favorite top. It was also part of the outfit she had specifically chosen to wear on her 'date-ish' thing with Tadase.

Amu gave her younger sister a steely look. "Only if you promise to have it washed by the game tomorrow."

Ami nodded passively and skipped out of the room. Something told Amu that whatever she said just went in one of Ami's ears and straight out the other with a hop, skip, and a jump.

Blowing the stray hairs out of her eyes, Amu slowly twirled back around to stare at the page that was a mirror into her mind. Blank. The urge to rip her hair out was unbearable. It was such a simple task. Plus it had to be done in the next 24 hours.

Taking a quick glance at the time, Amu slid off her chair and grabbed her school bag. She'd leave ahead of Ami for a change, just so she could use the walk to school as a time to think.

"Dear Tadase.." She murmured quietly to herself as she started down the sidewalk. "I've admired you for quite some time. You're not like other guys, you're polite and respectful... I mean, I don't know if I like you or not, but I _think _I do." Amu shook her head quickly. "Wh-what I mean is...I'm willing to give us a try. I hope you are too."

She finished quietly. Groaning loudly, she quickened her pace and stuffed her hands in her pockets. With all the stress from work, homework, boys, and planning the Christmas dance, she'd barely gotten any sleep over the past few days, not to mention she could feel a zit beginning to grow on her hairline.

What she longed for was the weekend. Two blissful days just jammed with sleep and relaxation. Nothing else. If there was homework that needed to be done, she'd forget about it for the time being. It was healthy to take a break every now and then, she just had to remember to not make a habit of it.

Amu managed to make it into English class just after the bell went off. Nikaidou was too busy with his nose in a book to notice her late entrance, so she quietly slipped into her desk at the back, next to Rima.

No one ever did anything in English class. The occasional poem would be analyzed, but that was about it. With a slacker for a teacher, it was easy to get away with almost everything; including having a very long, passionate discussion about sports. This discussion was, of course, lead by Kukai.

"Soccer is still the best sport, by far. All the other sports just wish they could be as amazing as the beautiful woman who goes by the name 'soccer'." Kukai stated dreamily.

About half the class sent him an odd look.

Kairi, a tall, skinny boy with green hair and large glasses, put his book down and calmly replied, "'Soccer' is a swear word in my household. We're more into martial arts, which, everyone knows, is far more impressive than kicking a ball around a muddy field."

The class turned their attention back to Kukai to see his reaction.

The brunette was fuming. His lips were pursed and his eyes wide. It looked like he was about to blow a rocket ship out his nostrils.

"_You soccer ball._" He insulted darkly. "Martial arts is just a bunch of high-pitched screaming while moving your hands around like you're some kind of mime!" He then proceeded to stand out of his desk and impersonate a martial artist.

Rima tapped Amu on the shoulder. "Do you want to come to my place tomorrow after school? We could get you all prettied up before the game. Of course you won't look as good as me, but I'm sure we'll find something we can work with."

Amu sifted through that to find a compliment.

"Well, your mama's so fat-" Kukai began loudly.

Amu rolled her eyes and turned back around to face Rima. "Sure that sounds good. I still have to write the love letter, though!"

The two friends were instantly out of their seats when the bell rang. They hurried out of the classroom, leaving Kukai and Kairi behind to sort out their differences.

"You can't write a love confession letter?" Rima arched an eyebrow, clearing unimpressed. Her gaze wandered over to the side, where she grabbed onto the shirt of a boy passing by, pulling him back to stand with them. "Ikuto, help her write a love letter. I've gotta go to cheer."

Ikuto stood in a questioning silence beside Amu, both of them watching Rima hurry away.

Amu stared down at her feet, her face slowly turning a very noticeable shade of red. Something Rima didn't understand was that just because Rima was friends with someone, didn't mean Amu was also friends with them.

"So..." Ikuto began slowly. "You're writing a love letter?" He was smirking.

"I have to go." The pinkette stated quickly before turning around.

"I don't mind helping.." Ikuto called, making Amu glance over her shoulder at him and slowly back up to where she was standing before.

"What? Why?" She asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at the taller male. "Why have you been acting so...'good Samaritan' lately? It's creeping me out."

Ikuto glanced around while exhaling loudly, slipping his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. "I just... I don't want you to be scared of me. There's really nothing to fear..." He said slowly. Anyone could tell he was feeling uncomfortable by being such a softy.

Amu snorted and looked away. "Yeah, that's what they all say."

The older teen looked Amu in the eye, his eyebrows slanting downwards. "Have you had bad experiences in the past, or something?"

The innocent question made it feel like a knife was just stabbed through Amu's heart. Her stomach plummeted and her palms began to sweat. She also found that she couldn't make eye contact or she knew she'd start to blush. "N-no! What makes you say that?" She exclaimed a little too defensively.

Ikuto put his palms up, showing he meant no harm. "Just a question! I didn't mean to.. I don't know.. creep you out even more."

Amu sighed loudly, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "Okay, well what do you think is a good thing to write in a love letter?" She asked quickly, embarrassed by the fact that she was actually asking for advice on such a thing.

The two began walking down the hall and out one of the side doors of the school so their conversation wouldn't be overheard by everyone else.

"Stuff you'd write in a love letter would be something like.. 'meet me in the girl's washroom in-'" Ikuto began.

"Ikuto!" Amu snarled.

He smirked at her and nodded. "Alright, alright. Well..what is it you like about him?"

Amu rubbed her hands together to keep warm and casted her gaze downwards to think. "He's...different.. I-I can't really explain it." She began slowly. "He respects me and actually acts like he cares about me. I don't know, it's like..he can make me smile just by a phone call, or make my day a little bit better by teasing me, even though I act like it annoys m-" Amu instantly stopped. She wasn't describing Tadase anymore. She had started talking about Ikuto and didn't even realize it.

Eyes widening, Amu cleared her throat and shrugged, hoping Ikuto didn't realize she was just describing him. "I-I don't know..there's lots of things. It just feels weird to say all this stuff out loud. And to _you _of all people."

"Ouch." He teased with a ghost of a smile, eyes dancing in amusement. He turned semi-serious again. "Write what you just told me. Once you start writing, the words will just kind of...fall into place, I guess."

"Thanks..." Amu replied slowly.

Ikuto began walking back towards the school. "I still think you should write something kinky instead!" He hollered.

"Shut up, you pervert!" Amu yelled back, trying to sound angry, but she couldn't help a smile from making it's way across her lips.

He laughed, keeping his back towards her. Just when he reached the door, he turned back around, hand on the doorknob. "Are you coming to the game tomorrow?"

"Yeah, why?"

Ikuto shrugged. "You should join the cheerleaders so I can watch you dance around in a mini-skirt." He commented devilishly with a wink that'd make any girl melt.

Amu blushed madly while glaring at him. "P-pervert! No way would I do that!" She yelled.

Ikuto laughed and threw open the door. "I'll search the crowd for you tomorrow." He stated with a slight smile in her direction. The eye-contact they made gave Amu's heart a flutter attack, but she rolled her eyes at it, blaming it on her teenage hormones.

Once Ikuto disappeared back into the school, Amu's legs seemed to lose all feeling as she dropped to the ground. She rolled over so she was on her back, her heart beating so loud she thought passer byers would be able to hear. She really should have been heading to her next class, but she couldn't bring herself to move.

Ikuto wasn't at all who she thought he'd be. Now she had the suspicion that she no longer wanted to go to the game simply to hang out with Tadase...but rather to cheer on Ikuto.

Amu groaned, closing her eyes.

"I hate hormones."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Amu was curled up in a deep armchair in the living room when Ami stumbled in. Her hair was tangled at the ends and her face shiny, as opposed to how perfectly powdered it had been before she left for the party she had just returned from. Her heels were dangling from a manicured finger so she could give her aching feet a break.

"What are you...watching?" She asked, blinking slowly while staring at the television with her eyes slightly glazed.

Amu strained her neck to look at her younger sister, then shifted back to look at the T.V, which was turned off. She was hesitant to point it out, but did so anyways. "...I'm not watching anything.."

Ami squinted her eyes and leaned forward. "Oh, really? Well, that's okay. Everyone knows I'm smarter than you, anyways."

The pinkette rolled her eyes. "You make no sense." She muttered, refocusing on her Biology homework sprawled out in her lap.

"Yes I do-o!" Ami sang while dropping into the couch across from Amu. She lay on her back silently for a few moments before saying softly, "I think I'm coming down with a fever."

"It's called being drunk."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The auburn haired girl mocked. "You're just jealous." Sending one more nasty look, the younger sister rolled off the couch and wandered up the stairs to go search for her room – if she could even remember which one was hers, that is.

Sighing deeply, Amu closed her science books and leaned back in her seat, resting her eyes for a moment. She cared about her sister, believe it or not. No matter what decisions were made that made them differ from each other, Amu always viewed Ami as her baby sister; the one who adored playing dress up with dad and always sang along to the songs in the kid's shows she watched.

But now..Ami was out partying almost every weekend. She wore short skirts and tight shirts with insanely high heels to top off the outfit. She still adored attention, but now it was the guy's attention that she desired.

Amu jumped at the rumbling of her cell phone inside her pocket. Nearly dropping all her books, she pulled out the phone and quickly composed herself. "H-hello?"

"_You're still coming over, right?_" It was Rima. She didn't sound too impressed.

This time Amu did end up dropping her books as she catapulted out of the armchair. "I'm so sorry! I got home and had to make dinner, then I got started on my homework and-"

She stopped talking when there was a knock on the door. Amu looked from the stairwell then to the door. She really had to go up to her room to get ready, but...

"_You'd better answer that door." _Rima stated in a monotone voice.

"How did you hear that..?" Amu questioned slowly as she walked briskly to the door and flung it open.

Rima stood on the front step and waved once before turning her phone off as she brushed past Amu. "I had a feeling you got distracted," she began as the pinkette closed the door, "so...here I am."

In an instant, the petite blond was up the stairs and standing in Amu's room, evaluating the outfit carefully set on the bed. She arched an eyebrow and started pacing back and forth, keeping her gaze on the sweater-dress and dark-washed jeans.

"Why are you wearing that with jeans?" Rima asked, not really wanting an answer. She sauntered over to Amu's nearly bare closet, and started scanning for something in particular while Amu stood and watched in silence as her closet got raided.

The blond was muttering incoherent things under her breath while the upper half of her body was buried in the hanging clothes in the closet. "Where are...I swear, this...it better..." More strained groaning was uttered from her mouth before she exclaimed, "These!" as she re-appeared out of the closet, holding up a pair of black leggings.

"With Ami's gray boots." She added, throwing the leggings onto the bed.

Amu snorted. "As if she'd let me borrow anything! Plus, I'm sure whatever boots she has are fifty inches off the ground."

"I'm not suggesting you wear her hooker heels." Rima defended. "I'm talking about the flat boots. You know...the flat ones."

"The flat boots that are flat?" Amu clarified with a sneaky grin. "Fine, fine. I'll search Ami's room. I'm sure she's passed out cold by now."

It took only an hour for the girls to be looking more acceptable than they were before. Rima already had her outfit chosen, as it was her cheer leading uniform. All she had to do was touch-up her makeup and throw her hair into a high ponytail. If anything, Rima took a longer time getting ready than Amu did. But in the blond's defense, she had to catch Kukai's attention.

The two girls jumped out of Rima's car and rushed into the school. They were late, but managed to get there before the first period was over. Rima instantly met up with the cheerleaders on the bleachers while Amu slowed to a stop at the doorway, unconsciously letting her eyes linger towards Seiyo High's basketball team.

Nagihiko was on the court, but he wasn't who she was looking for. She was about to scan the court again when she saw him on the bench.

Ikuto sat next to Kukai. They were making small comments with each other while making gestures with their hands.

Seeing him laugh made Amu smile. He really should laugh more.

"Amu-chan!"

Amu's smile dropped as her eyes widened. She was here with _Tadase_. She had completely forgotten, and was now staring at a guy who was not her date. She had to repeat that to herself a couple times before she forced herself to turn around to search the bleachers for the princely blond.

He was smiling at her from the top row, waving her up.

The pinkette smiled back and fiddled with the fabric of her dress. Taking another quick look in Ikuto's direction, she cleared her throat and attempted to stagger her way up the bleachers, through the sea of angry dads and flustered moms – both of who were angry with the ref.

Amu side-stepped her way towards her seat, pausing once more before she sat down. She took another look in Ikuto's direction. He started laughing again just as he turned her way, making eye-contact with the flustered pinkette. He smirked at her, nodding once to acknowledge her presence.

Amu's blush deepened, so she quickly dropped to her seat beside Tadase to hide behind the people in front of her.

"S-sorry I'm so late! We lost track of the time and-"

"Don't worry about it." Tadase interjected with a chuckle. "It happens, I understand. I'd just have to thank you for not standing me up."

Amu quickly shook her head. "N-no I'd never do that!"

The blond smiled at her. "I'm glad." He replied honestly. "I enjoy spending time with you."

Amu actually found herself gazing into Tadase's eyes and smiling. She couldn't remember the last time she really looked at someone, and in return let someone really look at her. She was always scared they wouldn't like what they saw.

They both shifted back towards the game just in time to see Nagihiko score a three-pointer.

The crowd burst into applause, with the occasional dirty look from the opposing team's family members.

Seiyo High's team huddled around Nagihiko, patting him on the back and giving him quick, congratulatory side-hugs.

After a few more points were scored by Seiyo's team, the obnoxious buzzer went off. Amu guessed since some people were getting out of their seats and the teams had scattered, it must have been a small intermission-type-thing, which she was thankful for, as she was desperate for some water.

Tadase stood up and removed his coat. "Do you want anything from the concession stand?" He offered.  
Amu shook her head while smiling apologetically. "Don't worry about it, I can get it."

The blond set a hand on her shoulder as she began to stand. "It's fine, really." He reassured with a smile. "What would you like?"

The pinkette slowly lowered herself back down while attempting to hold back her blush. He made her feel like she could melt in her spot. "J-just a bottle of water, please." She spoke quietly, feeling extremely self-conscious under his gaze.

"That's it?"

Amu nodded, not sure whether any noise would come out if she tried to speak. She sat in silence and watched him carefully make his way down the bleachers and out of the gym. She wasn't used to common courtesy. For a while now she'd been having to do everything herself, so now it was the normal thing to do.

Perhaps chivalry wasn't dead after all.

The pinkette smiled softly and inhaled a deep breath as her eyes roamed the gymnasium. Rima and the other cheerleaders all skipped onto the gym floor, where they began to perform their routine. Amu froze in her spot when she noticed Ikuto making his way across the court, towards her.

She cursed under her breath at the realization that her palms were starting to sweat. It seemed to occur every single time she was around him, which was beginning to piss her off. Slowly standing up, Amu wiped her hands on her dress and staggered down the bleachers, stopping at the bottom.

She stayed on the first step so she was just slightly taller than Ikuto, who was standing on the ground.

"Hi." Was all he said.

"Hi..." Amu smiled bashfully, avoiding eye contact. "So, I showed up!"

Ikuto smirked and let his eyes wander over her appearance. "I see that."

The pinkette nodded awkwardly and began to swing her arms back and forth. "So, when are you going to get off the bench and actually play?"

"Oh, so I'm the main attraction?" The male teased, getting another blush out of Amu, who glared at him in return.

'In all honesty, yes.' Amu wanted to say, but she kept quiet. Taking a quick glance at the doorway for Tadase, the pinkette sighed quietly. The concession line must have been longer than she originally thought. Truth be told, she kind of wanted Tadase to hurry up so she wouldn't have to keep embarrassing herself in front of Ikuto.

Amu's golden eyes shifted from the bright lights above her then to the shiny gym floor. She briefly wondered how long it took to wash the floor. It'd be a long, tiresome job, in her opinion.

Realizing she had zoned out, the pinkette quickly looked back at Ikuto, who had lifted the bottom of his shirt up to try to rip a dangling string off it. In the meantime, Amu got a pretty good look at the lower part of his abs.

"Th-thank you for today." She blurted out. It wasn't until after she said it that she realized she didn't know what she was thanking him for.

Ikuto glanced up, still working at breaking the loose string off. Now he was attempting to with his teeth. "For what?"

Commanding herself to think quickly, Amu brought up the subject of the love confession letter again, even though they both knew that she had already thanked him for that. But that topic was better than her telling the truth – that the only reason she thanked him was so she could keep talking to him.

"Oh, that." Ikuto murmured, finally dropping his shirt. "No problem.." His eyes shifted to the empty doorway. "Was that the guy you're madly in love with?"

"I'm not _madly_ in _love _with him!" Amu exclaimed, also turning towards the doorway. There was still no sign of him. The pit of Amu's stomach churned at the thought that he might have left.

This seemed to make Ikuto interested as he looked back at her. "You're not?" He inched closer, a smirk slowly forming. "Just admit it: I'm the one you're falling for." He teased.

Amu rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, you got me there. You're the one I'm madly in love with." She cautiously looked back at him and couldn't seem to look away.

The two stood in a somewhat tense silence which lead Amu to question if there was any truth behind that sarcastic statement. She silently wondered if he was thinking that too.

As much as she tried, she couldn't bring herself to look away from him. He had a rugged beauty to him. With his shaggy hair and well-defined facial features, he could easily pass off as a rebellious bad-boy. But one thing out of all his features that she especially loved were his eyes. She had to admit, she could stare at them all day. They say your eyes are the windows to your soul. If that was the case, Ikuto had a pure soul. Yet his eyes held a kind of permanent pain or sadness. Amu wanted to get rid of it.

"Amu-chan!"

Amu forced herself to finally look away from Ikuto and to the doorway of the gym, where Tadase was walking in with a bottle of water tucked under his arm and a vanilla ice cream cone in each hand.

The pinkette just seemed to realize how close she was standing to Ikuto and took a step back while sending Tadase a smile.

Just before he reached the two, Ikuto made a disgusted face. "Vanilla? Gross." He whispered to himself.

Amu shrugged. "Yeah, chocolate's better, but it's the thought that counts." She replied quietly so Tadase couldn't hear.

Ikuto gave her a look of approval before ruffling her hair – much to her dismay. "See you around, kid." He then turned on his heel and returned to his team, who were getting ready to play again.

Tadase handed her an ice cream and her water before glancing over at Ikuto. "Who was that?"

She tried not to smile.

"That's just Ikuto."

**Author's note: I'm so sorry if it feels like things are going so slow! This chapter was mainly to develop the love triangle, but I guarantee there should be at least A LITTLE bit of romance between Amu and Ikuto coming up! More teasing of course, but I wonder... is there any genuine curiosity behind those questions he asks? Ehheh. See you soon! Maybe after exams are over.. but I hope sooner than that. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"My mom would take you down! With a rake!" Kukai exclaimed as he rose from his seat. Kairi just smirked victoriously before scurrying out of the town library before the librarian could give the both of them a huge lecture for causing a disturbance.

Amu arched an eyebrow at the sight. She sat calmly in her seat with a pencil loosely between her fingers. Planning for the dance was not going as planned. Not only was Kukai being constantly distracted, but Ikuto was unable to make it, as he was apparently sick.

Leaving Amu and Kukai to work on a project by themselves was never a good idea to consider. They wouldn't be able to get any work done without the motivation of either a teacher or a fellow student, or, of course, if it was a project their grade depended on.

"How abooouut.." Kukai began slowly as he lowered himself back into the seat across from the pinkette. "'Kay, so we're thinking of the 'fairy tale' theme, right? So how can we include that into decorating the place? I mean, it sounds pretty easy to do..but it's not."

He had a point, Amu admitted to herself. The subject 'Fairytale' had so many aspects to it. They really had to narrow it down. "What kind of fairytale? Of course it has to be romantic...maybe. I don't really know." Amu thought aloud. She dragged her hands down her face and groaned. "Plunging deeper down the rabbit hole."

Kukai suddenly perked up. He began mumbling incoherent words under his breath while quickly scribbling three words across a sheet of paper. Flipping it around so Amu could read it, he pushed it closer to her.

"'Alice in Wonderland'?" Amu threw Kukai a look. "You seriously had to take up a whole page just to write that? Such a tree-murderer."

The brunette rolled his eyes. "That's besides the point. Alice in Wonderland! That could be the theme." He adjusted so that his chin was leaning on the palm of his hand, his elbow on the table. "Just think about how we could decorate the gym! Trees lining the walls, leafs on the ground.." he drifted off and got lost in his thoughts.

Amu also began to imagine the whole Wonderland theme. The more she thought, the more she was growing to like the idea. They truly could decorate the gym in a way to make the students feel like they were sucked into a magical land.

"The thought makes me feel mushy inside." Amu confessed with a quiet giggle, curling her toes in happiness.

"Like a pumpkin?" Kukai grinned.

Amu wasn't impressed, her expression deadpanned. "Yes, like a pumpkin, Kukai. But anyway...it's a good idea! Thank youuuu." She beamed at him, finally excited to continue planning. Getting the theme for the dance figured out was a major stress reliever.

Glancing at the clock, Amu slowly stood up from her chair and stretched her arms out in front of her. "Well, I have to get going home, but I'll keep brainstorming decorating ideas!"

Kukai also stood up and reached his arms out, enveloping the pinkette in a hug. When they parted, he suddenly recalled something. "How did the confession go?" He asked as they made their way out of the library.

Amu stopped suddenly as her eyes widened. "Holy crap!" She exclaimed, jaw dropping. "I completely forgot to even write the letter!" She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned loudly, continuing her stroll with Kukai down the sidewalk.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Legit? How did you manage to forget about _that_? I thought you were panicked about it for like..days."

"I was!" Amu complained. "I don't know how I forgot to write it... I even asked _Ikuto _to help me!" She groaned again, covering her face with her hands. "Oh my word.."

"You asked Ikuto?" Kukai laughed. He then gave her a sneaky look, nudging the pinkette in the side. "You have a thing for him, don't you?"

Amu snorted. "As if!" They walked up the front steps of the Hinamori household and stopped at the door. "That guy's too...moody."

The brunette backed up towards the sidewalk and nodded. The grin on his face told Amu he still wasn't convinced. "Amu-chan's in lo-ove, Amu-chan's in lo-ove." He sang as he began to skip down the sidewalk. "With Tsukiyomi Ikuto nonetheless!"

"You're a dead man, Kukai!" Amu bellowed.

His evil cackling echoed off the houses, even after he had turned the corner and disappeared from sight. The pinkette scoffed and pushed open the front door. As soon as she reached her room, she pulled out her cell phone and searched for Ikuto's number.

As it was ringing, Amu tied her hair up out of her face and slipped into her pajamas. She hated the fact that it was a Saturday and she had gotten up early to meet with Kukai at the library. She'd rather sleep for the entire day. Something Ikuto was most likely doing.

But he finally answered, his voice hoarse.

_"Hello?"_

Amu threw on a sweatshirt and then sat at her desk. "Now look who's the rebel."

The other line was silent, almost as if he was translating what she said into a language he'd understand.

_"...What?"_

It felt like she was talking to a member of the living dead. His voice was groggy and it was clear he didn't comprehend what was happening.

"You skipped out on dance planning today." Amu pointed out, tugging at the strings of her sweatshirt. "Which is shocking, 'cause I mean, who on earth wouldn't enjoy planning a dance?"

_"I know man, it's one of my hobbies." _Ikuto replied with equal sarcasm. The pinkette found it funny how lifeless he sounded, yet he could still speak the beautiful language of sarcasm perfectly.

There was a hesitant silence on Amu's end as she bit down on her lip. It wouldn't be too obvious if she asked, right? He had asked her, so there really shouldn't have been any problem. Wait, why was it again that she decided to phone him? Aw crap.

Clearing her throat, she slipped out of her chair and onto her bed. "Are you okay?" There. She asked. As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she wanted to take them back. "I-I mean, you're like.. still alive and well? Uh... well, obviously you are.. but you haven't been diagnosed with anything deadly? There's nothing..." She kept screaming in her head to shut up already and stop embarrassing herself. She then shut her mouth entirely and waited for him to respond.

_"...I'm okay."_

The pinkette smiled. "I'm glad. Hey! So I forgot to write the love confession letter for Tadase." She announced. Ami chose this moment to open her sisters door and poke her head in. Amu held up a finger, making Ami nod and head back to her room across the hall to wait until Amu was off the phone.

_"Oh?_" He laughed wearily. _"That's funny. Not really surprising, though."_

"You _would _find my pain amusing."

_"Are you actually in pain?" _Ikuto tested, finally sounding a little more awake.

Amu opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when no words came out. Was she actually regretting not telling Tadase? She crossed her legs then straightened them out again, unsure of what to do with herself.

"You're not sick, you faker." She ended up accusing, turning the spotlight onto him.

_"Oh, you got me there. I've actually just spent the day enjoying myself, doing things like peeling potatoes and installing toilets." _Ikuto replied.

Amu smiled wryly. "I knew it."

The door creaked open once again and Ami poked her head in. "I need to talk to you!" She whispered loudly.

The pinkette held back an angry groan and refused to let herself glare at her younger sister. "Well, I have to go, faker. I'll see you at school. That is, if you decide to stop peeling potatoes and actually _show up_."

"Aww, in that case, I'll be there. Just for you." He teased, knowing just how to push Amu's buttons.

Amu scoffed and turned off her phone at the sound of Ikuto laughing at her. Chucking her phone across the bed, she angrily blew her bangs out of her blushing face. She then remembered Ami was still standing in the doorway. "What is it?" She asked.

The auburn-haired thirteen year old shifted her weight from one foot to the other, folding her hands in front of her, then behind her. "C-can you come here for a second?"

Amu frowned, her eyebrows slanting downwards. "Is everything okay?"

"Just come here!" Ami twirled around and ran out of view and into the washroom.

Sighing, Amu dragged her body off her bed and into the hallway. She stopped in the doorway of the washroom, where Ami was sitting on the ground, head in her palms, a white stick on the ground beside her.

The pinkette's eyes widened at the sight of the stick. Was that-

"Ami..."

Ami started to sob. "I'm pregnant, Amu." 


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

There was nothing that could be compared to the blissful aroma at Christmastime. The way the snow fell gently to the ground and muffled all noises, how music was playing nearly everywhere, and how couples huddled together to keep warm.

Amu sat in one of the restaurant's booths, staring longingly out the window at the October leafs being tossed and blown across the dark street. She wanted Christmas to hurry up and get here already. She wanted to feel problem-free and at peace. She wanted nothing but happiness to fill the air.

Instead, she was stuck with a pregnant thirteen year old for a sister and a mom who probably couldn't care less. Midori didn't know about it yet. Once she found out, though, she'd probably make it out to seem like she was the victim in this situation, and how she did everything in her power to make her daughters have a great life, but Ami had to go and ruin it. She'd probably also toss in something about Amu not being there for her sister enough. Midori would say anything to keep the blame off of herself.

The pinkette rolled her eyes. She could see it already.

Thirteen. Ami was _thirteen_ for crying out loud. Amu didn't even know anything about sex at that age – okay, she did, but she wasn't running around town actually doing it.

Amu sighed and began tracing shapes onto the table top with her fingers. Everyone mourns in their own way, maybe going out and partying was Ami's way of coping with the loss of Tsumugu. What she didn't expect to happen was to actually have a consequence in the end.

"A damn big consequence." Amu whispered angrily to herself. It was a child's life Ami was now in control of. She was a child herself and she couldn't even control her own life.

Amu remembered meeting a woman at the mall a couple years earlier. She was sitting in the play area, watching her five young children. The woman turned out to be 21 years old, and had gotten pregnant with her first child at the age of thirteen. She stayed with her boyfriend and had four more kids after that.

Amu found it unreal at the time, and even now she found it hard to believe. Something told her that wouldn't be the case with Ami. In fact, Ami probably didn't even know who the father was.

The thought made Amu's stomach churn.

"Hinamori-san, are you okay?"

The pinkette forced her eyes to un-glue themselves from the table and turned to look at Tadase. He stood with a towel in his hands, watching her carefully.

"I'm fine." Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper. She hoped it wasn't too obvious that she had been crying.

Tadase smiled. "I'm glad. You really should smile! You look most beautiful when you do."

Amu wanted to roll her eyes and glare at him. He was so oblivious. Could he not tell by her voice that she _wasn't _okay? That she wanted to be alone, otherwise she'd lash out and rip someone to shreds?

"Thanks, Tadase-kun." She forced a smile that seemed convincing enough. Releasing a long, tired sigh, Amu stretched her arms and rolled out of the booth. "I'm going home now. I'll see you later."

Just as she wrapped her warm fingers around the cold door handle, Tadase called after her.

"Hi-Hinamori-san!" He paused as she glanced over her shoulder at him. "Wednesday is the opening night for the carnival...do you... want to go with me?"

Carnival with Tadase, or moping around all day with a hormonal sister who'll demand you to do everything- Hmmm.

Amu smiled. "Sure. I'll meet you there at 6?"

The blond thought for a moment, then smiled back at her, nodding. "6 sounds great. I'll see you there!"

With one more exchange of smiles, the pinkette pushed open the door and disappeared into the dark. She _wanted _to go home, but there was yet another get-together for the dance committee going on at the library. By the time the dance actually happened, Amu was sure she wouldn't even want to go.

She walked briskly down the sidewalk, plunging further into the inky darkness. She always went a tad slower whenever she passed through a street lamp's warm bubble of light.

Once reaching the library, she treaded up the small staircase leading up to the lobby. Everyone else was already there, half-listening to what Nikaidou was talking about.

Judging by what was written on the white board behind Nikaidou, the theme chosen for the dance ended up being Kukai's idea after all. Alice in Wonderland, it was. Amu couldn't complain. She thought Kukai was a genius for coming up with it.

"...So what I want you to do for the next hour is to draw pictures, make lists of what we need for decorations, just...brainstorm and imagine what the gym could look like! Make it Wonderland, make it real!" Amu was certain Nikaidou wanted to be an inspirational speaker at some time in his life.

"Now, off you go, everyone! Get into your groups!" He shooed everyone away before skipping happily into the shelves of books, probably in search for a cheesy romance novel to get his mind off of how lonely his life was.

Amu sighed. Poor guy.

The pinkette finally found Kukai and Ikuto making their way to the back of the library. She met up with them just as they chose a table to sit at.

"Look who finally decided to show up." Kukai teased as he slid into his seat. Amu noticed he had made sure to make it so that she had to sit next to Ikuto. Sneaky son of a-

"Yup. Sorry, my shift went a little longer than planned." Amu stated with as little emotion as possible before she dropped into the seat beside Ikuto.

The three sat in an awkward silence. Kukai couldn't stop smiling as he looked from Ikuto to Amu, while Amu sat there staring at the table, and Ikuto was drawing something on the back of his hand.

"So..." Kukai began. He seemed oblivious to the moody atmosphere. Not only was Amu upset, but Ikuto also seemed to be in a bad mood. "You two can work _together _to start designing the gym layout.. in the meantime, I sense nature calling."

Sending Amu one last sneaky look, the brunette slid out of his seat and walked away.

Amu wanted to end it all right then and there. With Ami being pregnant, it just made Amu realize how imperfect her life was – how hard it was to get through a day. So much more stress was headed in her direction, and she was not looking forward to it. She'd rather end it than have to attempt to put up with it, only to be crushed under the weight of the world.

"You ever think about taking up drinking?" Ikuto asked quietly, sounding like he was half-asleep.

"No. It doesn't bring good outcomes." Amu replied in the same, half-dead tone of voice.

"How so?" He asked, continuing to draw on his hand. "It makes you forget all your worries."

"It also makes you so out of it that you climb into bed with the first guy you see and you end up getting pregnant at thirteen years old." The pinkette stated angrily through gritted teeth, staring straight ahead, imagining all the things she wanted to do to Ami to knock some sense into her. She then cleared her throat awkwardly and stared down at her lap. "Just a guess."

Ikuto twirled the pen around in his fingers, glancing over at Amu. "That happened to you?"

Amu shook her head. She really didn't want to tell Ami's secret to the world, but she also really, really wanted to rant and burn off some steam. "My sister's pregnant." She uttered shamefully.

There was a moment of silence before Ikuto started to laugh.

There were numerous emotions flying through Amu as she looked over at him. Hate, annoyance, confusion, and hurt. "What's so funny about that?"

"Teen pregnancy seems to run in the family with you guys."

That hurt more than she thought it would. With everything going on, all the emotions she was bottling up seemed to burst out, resulting in Amu smacking Ikuto across the cheek as hard as she could.

A few students sitting nearby stopped talking and looked over at them, but Amu hardly noticed. She stood out of her seat and glared at Ikuto.

"You have no right to judge my family when you have no idea what we've been through!"

This also caught Nikaidou's attention. He poked his head around a bookshelf and watched the teens, too scared to interfere. He did attempt to speak a few calming words, though. Except no one heard him.

Ikuto chuckled humorlessly while rubbing his cheek. "You act as if you have such a terrible life and that everyone else's families are perfect." He slowly stood from his seat to face the pinkette. "You know, there are other people in the world who are suffering,you're not the only one."

Amu glared at him. She couldn't tell what made her angrier: the fact that he was right, or that there were tears forming in her eyes. She hated feeling like he was in control of her emotions. She felt like a puppet dying to break free from it's strings.

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself, of course I know that other people are struggling, too! But it always seems like whenever life is going good, someone has to go screw that up!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, no. How ever will you survive? Your perfect life is crumbling beneath you."

"You're such a prick."

By now the librarian had waddled over. Her thick glasses were half-way down the bridge of her nose, her gray hair in a tight bun to expose every wrinkle on her face. "Shhh!" She hushed. All the surrounding students cringed, preparing for the angry response.

"Shut up!" Ikuto and Amu yelled in unison, glaring at the old lady.

Amu rolled her eyes and angrily grabbed her bag from off the table, pushing past Ikuto.

"And there she goes running away." He taunted, following after her.

She stepped into the windy night air and whirled around to face him. "I don't understand you one bit, Tsukiyomi! You're so bi-polar! One minute you're a guy who seems likable, the next you're a complete spazz who loves to torment people!"

"Yup, that's me. At least I don't search for ways to make people feel sorry for myself." Ikuto replied lazily, his hands finding their way into the pockets of his jeans.

Amu shook her head at the older male. "You don't know what you're talking about. And how is it that your life is _so _much worse than mine! You're Tsukiyomi Ikuto! You can get any girl you want - if you stopped being bipolar, that is - and you don't have to worry about losing your house to foreclosure 'cause your family's just _rolling_ in the dough!"

He stepped closer, making the silence more intimidating. "Oh yes, I have such a perfect life. Especially with a bastard of a step-dad who loves taking his anger out.. on me." Ikuto grew quiet, realizing he had said more than he meant to. He mentally kicked himself for saying too much. He kept his personal life a secret for a reason.

The pinkette also went quiet as she watched Ikuto shift uncomfortably.

"Does he.. a-abuse you?"

It just dawned on her that they weren't mad at each other. Not at all, really. They just needed a reason to rant and express all the emotions they were feeling inside. They both needed to get rid of their hurt and anger, and taking it out on each other seemed like the best way to go.

"It still doesn't make it right to belittle other people's problems." Amu scolded, a lot softer now than the tone she was using before.

Ikuto smirked and looked her direction. "But still, the Hinamori girls _do _sound pretty easy."

Amu went to slap him again, but Ikuto grabbed onto her wrist and didn't let go. They stood with their chests together, eyes burning holes into each other's skulls.

"You're getting abused at home?" Amu asked quietly

"You have a flat chest?"

The pinkette scoffed and tried to pry her hand out of Ikuto's grasp, but he held on tighter. He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. "I'm sorry. That was.. uncalled for." He opened his eyes and looked down at her, his grip around her wrist loosening. "And everything else I said, too. Sometimes it's necessary to have a good rant. Taking it out on you, well...that wasn't exactly the best choice. And.. I'm sorry."

Amu's eyes softened as she let her hand drop down to her side. They really were two tragedies crumbling more after each passing second.

She cleared her throat and glanced to the side as a tear betrayed her and spilled from her eye. "I'm sorry, too."

Ikuto was hesitant, but pulled his sleeve down over his finger tips and grabbed onto it, lifted it up to Amu's cheek and gently rubbed the tear away.

The pinkette shifted her gaze back up to him and noticed they hadn't moved away from each other. She also noticed she didn't _want _to move away from him.

Before she could back away like the paranoid side of her brain told her to, Amu stood up on her tip-toes, wrapping her arms around his neck and in return, Ikuto leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

Amu nearly melted in her spot.

She now knew it wasn't her teenage hormones that were causing the warm feeling inside of her. She liked Tsukiyomi Ikuto, and she wasn't ashamed to admit it.

**Author's note: Well then... there you have it. I'm signing off for about a month due to exams. PAAAH. Just kidding :3 but I will be trying to do some serious studying.. I hope. So hold onto your seats! The ride has just begun ;) **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The hot water drummed down against Amu's back as she glared at the pale tiles lining the shower. She had lost track of how long she had been idly standing there. She knew she should have been getting out of the shower and throwing on some clothes for her 'date' with Tadase, but she couldn't bring herself to move from her spot.

_'I thought I liked Tadase! Why else would I agree to go on a date with him? Don't I like him still..? No, maybe…but- then there was Ikuto…oh, why did I- because he forced me to, that's why.' _

Amu groaned and rested her forehead against the cool tiles. "'Cause that's believable." she muttered sarcastically.

She washed her face once more before shutting off the water. Preparing herself for the cold air, the pinkette squeezed her eyes shut and pushed open the curtain, already feeling a chill spread across her body.

Lunging for the nearest towel, she quickly wrapped it around herself before wiping the condensation off of the mirror to stare at her reflection. She had kissed a boy and was now going on a date with a boy who _wasn't _the one she kissed. Amu rubbed her face again and groaned. How she got herself in this situation, she didn't know.

Inhaling a deep breath, the pinkette released it slowly before plastering a smile to her face. All she had to do was go to the carnival with Tadase, then she could be back home and in her warm bed in no time. Her smile faltered as she opened her bathroom door. In the meantime, she still had to survive through the 'date'.

Amu stopped in front of her closet, staring expressionless at her clothes. Nothing looked good enough to wear. She'd rather prance around naked - well…not exactly, but she still didn't want to dress up for really no reason.

Nothing in her closet stood out to her and there was no way she'd search Ami's closet. To tell the truth, Amu was actually kind of scared to search through her little sister's clothing items.

Throwing on a pair of dark-washed jeans, a black v-neck and white sneakers, Amu sat on her bed and slowly ran a brush through her hair so it would dry straight. In the meantime, her eyes wandered down to her left wrist, where fresh markings were very noticeable. It was now that she decided she'd have to wear a sweater overtop to keep her wrists covered.

Once more she dragged her tired body off her bed and over to her closet, where she picked out a black, long-sleeved cardigan. There. She was finally somewhat satisfied.

As she stepped into the night, Amu dialled Rima's number.

_"I don't have any costumes, man. Kukai said he was going to dress up, because Utau was, so clearly that means I have to dress up as well so I can look better than that blond bimbo."_

"Oh, good. So you guys _are _coming to the carnival?" Amu clarified, relieved that she didn't have to be alone with Tadase.

_"Of course. I think everyone will be there." _Rima replied. _"And thanks for your support on the matter of my lack of an outfit." _She added.

The pinkette nearly stopped walking as she crossed an intersection. "Wh-what? _Everyone _will be there?" She repeated, eyes widening. "I'm sure some of the… 'c-cooler' kids won't, though, right? They're going to a Halloween party or something..?" She could basically _hear _Rima arch an eyebrow suspiciously.

_"Uhh…I don't know. I know some of the cheerleaders were talking about a party…but that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone will show up to it. …Are you avoiding someone?"_

"Nope. I was just wondering." Amu replied innocently. "I'd just rather not be surrounding by a bunch of egotistical morons who have more abs than brain cells."

_"…Right. Anyway! More importantly - what should I wear?" _Rima demanded.

Amu shook her head. "I have no idea. Try throwing on a tutu and call yourself a ballerina."

"_Hardy-har-har you're hilarious. How about…a cheerleader? That's it. It's settled. I'll dazzle him with my sexy legs. I'll meet you at the carnival in 5 seconds." _Rima said in a hurry before hanging up on the pinkette, though she hardly noticed.

Amu's attention was caught by the bright lights and the lingering scent of buttery popcorn. No one she recognized was waiting by the front gates of the carnival, so the pinkette stepped inside on her own.

In an instant, popcorn and cotton candy vendors were beckoning her to come try their food. There was something about carnival food that made it so irresistible. Besides all the grease that dripped off of it, it was mouth-watering. But, the pinkette refused to buy anything to eat just yet, deciding she'd wait until everyone else showed up.

"Hinamori." Amu turned around and looked straight into the eyes of Tsukiyomi Utau.

Her blond hair was in it's usual pig tails, while her dark purple eyes were stone cold as they seemed to stare into Amu's soul. Her angel costume was the complete opposite of the aura she gave off.

"What exactly do you plan to do with my brother?"

Amu was speechless. "..Wh-what?"

"What do you plan to do with Ikuto?"

The pinkette's eyes were wide as she tried to decipher what the blond meant. She didn't mean anything like…sexual, right? The thought made Amu's face heat up as smoke nearly erupted from her ears.

Utau didn't look impressed, which was made clear when she stared at the younger girl with a dead-panned expression. "You're thinking something perverted, aren't you?"

"N-no!"

The blond sighed and blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Look. I recognize the lovey-dovey vibe going on between you two, and let me tell you, if you're using him to get popular, or just to have a boyfriend - I _will _find out, and I will make your life a living hell. Ikuto's been through enough and if you put him through anything more, I'm coming after you." Her eyes got unnaturally darker as she glared at the pinkette.

Amu was certain Utau would grow horns at any minute now.

The pinkette quickly shook her head while holding her hands up to show she meant no harm. "N-no I don't want to hurt him at all! I just…I…" she grew quiet, unsure of how she was going to finish that sentence.

"You…like him?" Utau put in slowly.

The pinkette opened her mouth to decline, but couldn't bring herself to say 'no'. She stared down at her shoes and nodded. "Yeah… I do."

Utau stared at her long and hard before giving a satisfied nod. "Okay, good. Now have you seen Souma anywhere? I was supposed to meet up with him."

Amu's expression suddenly grew sneaky. "Kukai? …Do you like him?" She asked with a sly smile.

Now it was Utau's turn to be embarrassed. "No way! He's _younger _than me. I'd never go for a little boy. He's just my tutor. One that…I can't find anywhere."

"Knowing Kukai, if he's here yet, he'd be waiting at the gate." Amu replied, starting off in the direction of the entrance. She waved Utau over to follow her. "We'll find your lover boy, don't worry."

Utau glared at her. "You breath a word of this to anyone and I'll-"

"Utau!" Kukai yelled out, running in through the gates with Rima following shortly behind. "I'm sorry I'm late. Rima had to get a ride over here, so it took a little longer than planned." He apologized sincerely while attempting to flatten down his naturally messy hair. "Oh, hey Amu."

Amu waved meekly as Rima walked over and hooked arms with her.

"It's fine. Ikuto and I were just checking out all the different stands here. We'd better do the bobbing for apples station." Utau stated, crossing her arms.

"Heck yeah I love bobbing for apples." Kukai replied eagerly. "Oh, Amu, Tadase just had to go to the washroom, but he said he'd meet up with us...uh…Amu?"

The pinkette was unresponsive as she stood in silence, eyes glazed over, blood turning cold while her palms started to sweat. "I-Ikuto's…here?"

Utau gave her a funny look. "Yeah…" She replied slowly, "He's working at one of the stations."

Amu was just about to sprint back home when another voice entered the conversation.

"Sorry I made you all wait." Tadase apologized with a soft laugh. "I ran into Nagihiko-kun and I recognized him as one of Amu-chan's friends, so I waited for his shift to be done at the balloon-popping station."

Amu waved gently at Tadase, who beamed at the sight of her.

A dark aura suddenly surrounded the group. Rima glared at Nagihiko with all her might, while he just smiled back at her.

"_You._" The petite blond snarled. "You're the reason I have a bruise on my butt bone! It hurts like a mother to sit down, just so you know!"

The entire party was confused, and didn't bother hiding it from their facial expressions.

"…What…?" Amu asked slowly.

"I don't know how many times I have to say it, but I'm sorry…again." Nagihiko spoke gingerly, making sure to not get too close to Rima. "It really wasn't entirely my fault though, there were other cheerleaders there, too."

"I don't see how hard it could be to simply catch me! I mean, really!" Rima grumbled. It was clear she was now feeling self-conscious about her weight, even though she had nothing to worry about.

Realization suddenly dawned on Utau as she rolled her eyes. "You're still going on about that?" She then turned to address the whole group and explain the issue. "Nagihiko was trying out for cheerleading and was required to help the flyer…well, fly. Rima's the flyer, and she was dropped, so she blames Nagihiko for it. I don't see why, since Nagi made the tryouts and is now part of our team so we should _forget about it._"

Rima now turned her glare to Utau. "Of course you would take the gay-wad's side!"

Tadase looked over at Nagihiko in surprise. "You're gay?"

Nagihiko opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Utau.

"What's that supposed to mean, shorty?" She demanded, towering over Rima.

Before any more insults could be exchanged, Amu grabbed onto Rima's arm and dragged her away from the group. Tadase followed after them, while Nagihiko, Kukai, and Utau wandered off on their own. They were most likely going to the apple bobbing station.

"She's a bitch, Amu! I hate her!" Rima exclaimed. "I should get one of my servants to dispose of her."

Amu gave her a warning look. "She's not all that bad if you actually talk to her and stop hating on her every chance you get."

Rima stopped walking in front of a teddy bear stand. She turned slowly to glare at Amu. "So now you're taking her side? That's only because you're in love with Ikuto, so you figure you have to be nice to his sister to get on her good side as well."

At this moment, Tadase shifted his attention off of the dangling pink teddies and looked over at Amu. "Is this… '_just _Ikuto' we're talking about?"

The pinkette closed her eyes and took deep, calming breaths while Rima continued walking on her own. The last thing Amu wanted was to be stuck alone with Tadase. She wasn't necessarily scared of what could happen, but she dreaded the confrontation that was going to take place sooner or later.

"I'm sorry, Tadase." She said honestly. "I-I really did like you…a-at one point. But now it's-"

Tadase nodded slowly, showing he understood. His gentle smile made Amu feel even worse. But at the same time, she wondered if he truly had a personality. He always seemed to be smiling. Was there _any _depth to him?

"As much as I would love to fight this Ikuto guy…I understand. I mean...this stuff happens and there's really nothing I can do about it." The blond said slowly, his eyes wandering the crowds. "I'm going to go find Kukai. That guy's pretty cool. I'll see you around?" He started walking, then stopped and turned to look at her. "And for the record, I'm not about to give up on you just yet."

Just like that, she was left alone.

She found the urge to scream unbelievable. Not only were things screwed up at home, but also now with someone from work, and her best friend, of all people. Was there anyone who _wasn't_ going to be mad at her?

She figured it was nearing that time of the month, since she was incredibly emotional all of a sudden.

Automatically, her hand wandered over to her bag, where she knew her escape was. She could already feel the razor against her skin.

Her eyes darted across the way, where the haunted house lurked. Normally Amu completely dreaded haunted houses, but right now it was the only place she could have temporary privacy and _not _be surrounded by the pushy crowds. The thought sounded absurd - to cut while wandering the haunted building, but it would have to do for now.

Amu handed money to the lady dressed in a grim reaper's costume, who opened the door for her.

"Watch your head." She whispered before the door slammed shut behind Amu.

_**To be Continued…**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Amu was already finding it hard to breath, not to mention she couldn't see a thing, despite the occasional source of eerie light coming from the swinging ceiling lamp.

Rummaging through her bag, the pinkette felt the familiar tiny object in her hand and pulled it out. She crouched down in a dark corner, watching people stagger by, clinging onto each other. No one noticed her, so she felt at ease as she cut into her skin, feeling the blade sink in deeper than usual. Her hands started to shake while the warm blood dripped down her wrist.

Amu hastily reached for a tissue and pressed it against the burning cut as she stood back up, placing the blade back and tossing her bag over her shoulder.

Her steps creaked against the hardwood floor that felt like it would break through at any minute. Curtain with rips and holes in them blew in front of the broken windows, while screams of other visitors echoed throughout the building.

Amu shivered, but forced herself to keep walking until she reached a pitch black room.

Just as she was walking by, zaps of electricity rang out from beside her, where a man was strapped to a chair. His flaky lips cracked open as he let out a shriek of horror. His eyes were replaced with empty black holes and his hair was standing straight up. His body writhed in the chair, desperate to escape the electric jolts that shot through his body.

Amu stood with tears in her eyes.

It didn't so much as scare her, but reminded her that there were people in real life who had to endure similar torture.

Not wanting to see any more, she squeezed her eyes shut and plunged further into the darkness.

A larger room sat innocently in front of her. A ceiling lamp swung on the ceiling, temporarily shining on her, then would move over to shine on the thing chained up on the wall across the room. From what she could see, it was a person.

Glancing around the area, she found that the doorway to continue was on her right, about seven feet away.

She gingerly took a step closer to the door, not wanting the person to see her. But of course, the floorboards creaked, and whatever it was reared it's ugly head. Amu's breath hitched in her throat as she watched him.

It turned out the arms that were chained to the wall were fake, and his real arms were hidden behind him. He wasn't chained to the wall at all, making it easy for him to charge after her.

She lost her voice at the sight of it hurtle towards her.

Finally getting her numb legs to move, Amu scurried to the door, pushing it open and slamming it on the face of the person running after her. She held onto the doorknob while pressing her back against the entry in fear that it'd continue after her. It all felt so real. So real it made her too terrified to move.

After a few tears were shed and she caught her breath again, Amu staggered to her shaky legs and inspected her surroundings. There was the occasional window that let in a fake, blue light that resembled that of the moon. To her left was a dark staircase.

Gripping the railing tightly, Amu slowly made her way up the stairs, glancing backwards every few seconds. She reached a small landing, but the stairs continued on, lined with more windows. The pinkette exhaled slowly before advancing up the next staircase. The step creaked under her weight, making her stall. It then creaked again even though she wasn't moving.

Her blood ran cold as she slowly glanced over her shoulder. Someone was standing right behind her.

Amu screamed at the top of her lungs and stumbled up the rest of the steps, the person still on her back. The atmosphere forced flashbacks of the night a few months earlier to rush through her mind as she ran.

_"I-I really have to find my dad."_

_"You're not going anywhere, Amu." The man drew a knife from his pocket and smiled at her. "Now get back over here before anyone gets hurt."_

_Amu's eyes darted from the blade, then to the cold, hollow eyes of the man. She decided to take her chances and sprinted in the opposite direction, down the sidewalk. He easily kept up with her and squeezed his large hands around her arm, dragging her backwards. _

_He pressed the tip of the knife against her neck. _

_"You're going to do exactly as I say without making a single noise. Got it?" He pressed the knife harder against her skin._

"No!" Amu cried out, tears streaming from her eyes as she hit the person who grabbed onto her.

"Amu?"

"Let go of me." she sobbed weakly, dropping to the ground.

The figure knelt down in front of her and pushed her hair out of her eyes so she'd look at him.

"Amu, look at me!"

The pinkette shook her head. The images… there were too many memories that haunted her. She wanted to die. She could no longer live with this permanent form of torture.

"You bastard.." She whispered as the face of her never-ending tormentor came to mind.

"..Ouch."

Amu's eyes snapped open hopefully. She recognized that voice. She sat up and tried to make out his facial features in the blue light.

"I-Ikuto!" She started crying all over again as she lunged forwards, hugging him tightly.

Ikuto held her close to him, not once having experienced this sort of reaction from being in a haunted house.

"I take it you get scared easily..?"

Amu reluctantly let go of him and sniffled, turning her gaze downwards while rubbing her eyes. "Wh-why are y-you here?"

The older teen took out his fake vampire teeth and climbed out of his cape, wearing all black underneath. "I had to get in my service hours before graduation…so…here I am."

He watched her with concern while he soothingly rubbed her back. "…Are you okay?"

"Y-you know when you asked me what I was scared of?" Amu asked, ignoring his question.

"..Yeah. You said it was me."

"It's actually the dark." The pinkette confessed. "I-I mean, not so much the dark, but I'm scared of what could be _in _the dark watching me...something I can't see." It was the first time she'd ever told anyone of that fear. She was always paranoid that if she told anyone, they'd use it to their advantage and tease her by locking her in a dark room just to be entertained.

Ikuto arched an eyebrow at her. "Then why'd you come in here? Stupid girl."

The pinkette attempted to glare at him, but it ended up looking more like a sad excuse for a puppy-dog face. She started tracing shapes along the dusty, creaking floor. "I had a fight with Rima.."

"Ohhh so you decided it'd be best to clear your head in here?"

"Well, it's the only place that's not crowded with people!" Amu said in her defence as Ikuto helped her stand back up by grasping onto her wrist. He lead her out of the haunted house, all the while she was trying hard not to whimper at the throbbing of her wrist that hurt even more with his hand causing pressure against the cut.

Just as they stepped into the fresh air, Amu gasped out in pain and pried Ikuto's hand off of her arm, cringing as she shook it out.

Ikuto watched her carefully with slanted eyes. Without any warning, he grabbed her hand and pushed up her sleeve, ignoring her protests and squirms as she attempted to yank her arm away.

Finally, Amu stood still and surveyed Ikuto's reaction. His facial expression was blank, but there was an emotion in his eyes she couldn't quite pinpoint. She wanted to run away. All her scars were on display for him to see and she knew that he was aware that they mirrored the emotional scars in her life.

He kept silent and lead her towards the back of the haunted house, where trash cans and porta-potties were. He sat her down on a wooden box and left for a few minutes, returning with a first aid kit.

He too sat down on a box just across from her and gently outstretched her arm, leaning down to get a better look at the injury.

"This might sting a bit.." Ikuto warned before dabbing a cotton ball against the blood.

Amu cringed and squirmed as the cool liquid that coated the cotton ball rubbed against the deep wound. They both sat in silence, unsure of what to say.

They both knew Amu didn't want to talk about the scars on her wrist, and neither of them were in the mood to bring up a light-hearted topic to remove the tension. So instead of speaking, they remained quiet, Ikuto concentrating on healing up Amu's wrist, and Amu gazing at him in the meantime.

His shaggy hair fell in front of his face, but she could clearly see his dark blue eyes through the strands of hair. Amu just knew that this was where the saying 'carved by angels' came in. With his long eyelashes, perfect nose and light skin, he seemed so unreal. Then there _she _was - a complete disaster with gashes marking her skin and the inability to trust people as easily as other people could.

Weren't girls supposed to be graceful angels who were nothing but innocent?

Amu sighed quietly. One of these days, Ikuto would wake up and realize that he could do so much better than her. Then where would she be? The pinkette didn't even want to think of it.

Ikuto threw the blood-covered cotton ball into the nearest trash can and shut the first aid kit after sealing the wound with a bandage.

"There! We're done."

"'We're done'?" Amu repeated in horror.

Ikuto was clearly confused and spoke slowly. "Yeah…you're all cleaned up now."

The pinkette felt her cheeks heat up. "Oh.."

She thought he was already ending their sort of 'relationship' thing they had going on. Come to think of it…she didn't even know if they were together or not. Maybe in his perspective she was just a girl he could take his anger out on and know she could say some comforting words in return.

"I like your costume." He commented with a nod in her direction, breaking her train of thought.

Amu frowned, her eyebrows slanting downwards. "Wha-I'm not wearing a costume…"

Ikuto looked genuinely surprised as he held onto Amu's hands and helped her stand up.

"Oh, really? I thought you dressed up as a beautiful girl."

Amu rolled her eyes but smiled as Ikuto bent down and kissed her.

"I guess it's just a permanent look you have." He concluded with a smirk before leaning in again.

Their lips touched gently - innocent enough for their third kiss, yet to Amu, it still felt like the first. The feeling of his lips on hers made her insides turn to mush as her knees nearly gave out from underneath her.

Ikuto parted first. "Shall I walk you home?"

Amu looked over her shoulder at the haunted house. "Don't you..?"

"Don't worry, it was about time for my lunch break, anyway." He replied with ease.

He outstretched his hand and laced his fingers through hers.

Feeling a blush heat up her cheekbones, Amu looked to the ground to hide her smile as she let Ikuto lead the way out of the carnival.

She could get used to this.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

There was something about teenage years that made people feel free. Take teenage girls for example, in the change room after gym class, they feel free to talk about what size their chests are. They also feel free to skip around in hardly anything while acting like the superficial bimbos they were.

The girl's change room was painted white with large, purple polka-dots scattered randomly about the walls. It was a cozy area that included a small hallway lined with showers, that opened up to a space with even more showers. It was surprising how big the space felt compared to the actual size it was.

Amu sat alone on one of the benches. The other girls were comparing chest sizes again and she chose not to participate, like usual.

"I only have a C cup! How pathetic is that?" One girl with curly brown hair whined.

Her friend scoffed.

"I have a B cup! You can't even see them! You'd need a microscope to get a decent look."

And it went on and on.

Utau was one of the girls who had a chest to boast about, but unlike everyone else, she kept quiet about it. She just watched all the other girls complain, then rolled her eyes at their immaturity. "You guys are pathetic. It's better than having an A cup." She pointed out before hooking her gym bag on her arm and leaving the room.

The brown haired girl broke into giggles. "That's true! Who the heck has an A cup nowadays? We're sixteen for crying out loud!" She pushed her hair over her shoulder and proudly stuck out her chest, leading the way out the door with her friends following behind eagerly.

Amu was still sitting in silence.

Her gaze slowly fell down to her own chest. She didn't have anything to look at, merely two lumps that were cleverly placed. Heck, they weren't even lumps, they were nonexistent. She was still an unlucky A cup. She'd been self-conscious about them ever since the fifth grade, when all her friend's started wearing bras and she didn't have to. She _still _didn't necessarily need to wear a bra.

The pinkette groaned and dragged her hands down her cheeks.

"Pretty pathetic." A voice commented from the doorway.

Amu looked up and straightened her posture at the sight of the blond. "What do you want, Rima?"

Rima shrugged. "Nothing. But I know what you want, or need, rather - a boob job. If boobs were fruits, yours would be raisins."

"Thanks for that." Amu replied dead-panned. She didn't feel like arguing today. It was the middle of the week and she wanted to use the rest of her energy to push on through until the weekend.

"Heard you're with Ikuto now." The blond continued. "Wonder how long he'll stay with you once feeling you up for the first time." She laughed. "I feel bad for him already."

At this, Amu stood up and glared at her. "What is your problem? It's not _me _you should be taking your anger out on. It's not my fault Kukai chose Utau over you. I can see why he did, though, seeing as how she's twice the person you are."

Rima's eyes turned cold and dark as she took a step closer. "Take that back."

"Why would I? It's true!"

In a split second, the petite blond lunged for Amu, grabbing onto her hair. Amu elbowed Rima in the gut and pushed her to the ground while having to endure manicured nails slicing at her in different directions.

Rima pulled Amu's shirt, making her crash to the cold concrete as well. The pinkette staggered to get back up just as Rima head-butted her in the stomach.

Amu straightened up and smacked Rima across the face before they both shoved each other back down to the ground, where they lay on their backs in silence, breathing deeply.

"Was that supposed to be a fight?" Amu asked after a little while.

They soon broke out into a fit of giggles at the realization of how stupid they were acting.

"Why are we even fighting?" Rima asked quietly, not really expecting an answer. "I mean… you're my best friend. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't in my life."

Amu nodded in agreement, feeling the hair on her arms stand up after being on the cold floor for so long. For some reason, though, she didn't feel like getting up. It felt nice to lie down and take a breather from all the hustle bustle of life.

"So…is it true that you and Ikuto are now…you know, together?" Rima asked, propping her head up on her elbow as she rolled onto her side to look at Amu.

The pinkette bit down on her lip to hide her smile as she, too, turned over. "…Yeah."

Rima's golden eyes grew wide as her lips turned upwards into a smile. "What! Since when? Have you had your first kiss yet? Details, woman!"

Amu could already feel her face heating up as she laughed. "Well…it became official last week, on the night of the carnival. He asked me on my doorstep after walking me home…and, yeah. I don't know exactly when it started, but…" She smiled again. "But I really like him. Oh and yeah we've had our first kiss…and second, third, and fourth…"

"No way!" Rima sat up onto her knees. It was obvious she was excited, but she then pretended to be angry. "I should've been the first to know about this. But…well, I guess I forgive you. And I'm sorry for making fun of your chest…it's really not that bad. I mean," she grabbed her own chest, "I don't have anything either! We can be boob buddies."

Laughing, Amu sat up also. "How about we just be buddies again?"

The blond smiled ever so slightly. "That sounds good."

Standing up off the floor, the two reunited friends hooked arms and made their way out of the change room and down the hallway.

"And for the record, Utau isn't twice the person you are." Amu stated. "I mean...she's nice and all, but I hardly know her enough to compare you two, _yet_."

Rima faked a laugh. "You better _never _compare us, or I'll have to dispose of you."

They slowed to a stop where Kukai and Nagihiko were standing.

Nagihiko smiled at the two, while Kukai looked at them as if they both grew another head. "Girls are _so _strange!" He commented, dropping his duffel bag to the floor. "One minute they hate each other's guts, the next they're acting like lesbian lovers."

Rima unhooked her arm from Amu's and stepped forwards, clutching Kukai's shirt collar. "What did you call us? You're not supposed to make our secret relationship known, Souma." She said in a dangerous tone.

After getting a meek nod from the terrified brunette, Rima stepped back and nodded at Nagihiko. "Gay-wad."

"Barbie."

"You smell like a fruit today." Rima commented.

"You look like a cave man today." Nagihiko retorted with his usual, innocent smile plastered onto his handsome features.

Amu nearly jumped out of her skin at the feeling of someone sliding his hands around her waist and into her front pockets while he pressed his chest against her back and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"You two fight like an old married couple." Ikuto commented.

Amu could feel the vibrations of his voice on her head and tried her hardest to fight off a blush. She'd made a decision that she wouldn't blush so easily around him anymore.

Rima and Nagihiko both whirled around to glare at Ikuto. "We do not!"

"Come on, fools, we have cheer practice." Utau uttered as she walked past the group. The lingering gaze she shared with Kukai didn't go unnoticed by Ikuto.

Rima and Nagihiko continued their bickering as they followed Utau down the hall towards the gym.

"All I said was that your hairstyle didn't suit your face shape, how is that insulting?" Nagihiko demanded.

"It's simply because _you're _the one who said it, that's why."

Kukai chuckled while shaking his head at the retreating figures. He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair before realizing he was left alone with a couple who was staring at him with mischievous glints in their eyes. "Wh-what?"

"You have a thing for my sister, don't you?" Ikuto questioned with a sly smirk. He slid his hands back out of Amu's pockets and stood beside her to use his taller-than-average height to appear more intimidating to the younger brunette.

"Uh…n-no." He was sweating. He could feel the beads of sweat along his forehead grow even larger under Ikuto's gaze. Was he going to beat him up? Did Ikuto know he was lying? Kukai bet he knew…he was a senior, therefore he must've known everything. On the other hand, Ikuto was one of his best friends, he could trust him.

Kukai hung his head in shame. "Yes, I do."

Amu bounced over to him and snatched up his arm. "What happened? Did you confess? Did _she _confess?"

Ikuto lazily reached out and grabbed onto Amu's shoulders, lightly pulling her backwards so Kukai had enough room to breath.

"Well…at the carnival, my confession just kind of slipped out. She still hasn't given me an answer, though." Kukai admitted while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Must be tough." Ikuto commented dryly.

"It's killing me!" Kukai agreed loudly. "She gives me these looks and signals, then the next thing I know she's ignoring me! It's bad enough I have to tutor her every week and can't understand _those _signals, but she plays these mind games even at school!"

Anyone could tell this boy was being driven mad. Passer-Byers sent him odd glances before shuffling away from the mad man who was almost ripping out his hair. He turned his green eyes to Ikuto, who suddenly grew uneasy.

"…What is it?" Ikuto asked carefully.

"You're her brother!"

"I've noticed."

A spark of hope flashed in Kukai's arms as he slid closer to Ikuto, folding his hands in front of his chest to appear like he was praying. "Please! _Please _tell me what to do!"

Ikuto held up his hands to try to get his personal space back. "Easy now, don't go too insane. Utau is…" He went silent as his eyebrows slanted downwards in concentration. "She needs to be ignored every once in a while. It'll drive her mad."

"Actually?" Kukai clarified with his usual goofy grin back in place.

"You'll get a response out of her," Ikuto replied, nodding. "guaranteed."

Gasping in excitement, Kukai fist-pumped the air. "Oh man, I could kiss you!"

Ikuto's hands flew out once again to keep him away. "I'd rather you didn't."

Nodding, Kukai grabbed his duffle bag off the floor. "Right, right." He skipped his way down the hallway and, before disappearing out a door, blew Ikuto a kiss. "I love you, man!" He then nearly knocked a few younger students over as he plowed through the doorway.

Ikuto stood in silence as he stared at the spot where Kukai was just standing. He slowly turned to face Amu, his gaze lingering a little longer on the doorway.

"What an odd boy…" He whispered quietly.

Amu reached out to hold Ikuto's hands, adoring the way they fit together.

"So you and Rima made up?" He clarified.

"We did. Whenever we have an argument, it doesn't usually take long for us to be on speaking terms again." The pinkette nodded with a smile, slowly drawing her attention to the hallway where Rima and Nagihiko went down.

"Ikuto…" she started slowly.

"I think we have some matchmaking to do."


	18. Chapter 18

**HEYYYYYYYYOOO. Two things!  
1: My computer crashed and erased EVERY SINGLE THING I had in my documents, pictures, EVERYTHING. And for those who have been around long enough, you'll know that this isn't the first time it's happened. So I wasn't feeling very motivated to re-write the chapter.**

**2: My genius of an older brother convinced me to go swimming, resulting in me getting a MASSIVE beast of a mosquito bite on the back of my hand. If that wasn't bad enough, it made my hand get swollen to the size of a baseball. No exaggeration. So I couldn't exactly type all that fast and it was taking me FOREVER just to create a paragraph. BUT I'M BACK. Please forgive me T_T**

**Chapter 18**

November had never felt so wonderful. The trees were golden in the soft sunlight while crunchy leafs danced with each other across streets and park benches. With the crisp afternoon breeze fluttering through Amu's hair, she felt weightless.

That is, until she opened the front door of her house.

Her mom was standing in the kitchen with her palms pressed to the countertop, giving Ami a cold stare, who was standing a few feet away.

"So now there's something wrong with my cooking, too?" Midori exclaimed, exasperated.

Amu quietly shut the door behind her while removing her jacket. The scent of bacon wafted past the pinkette's nostrils as her eyes widened. She had read somewhere online that bacon was the number one thing pregnant women couldn't stand.

Ami shook her head in disagreement, eyes closed with one hand plugging her nose. "N-no I just…I-"She mad-dashed to the washroom at the end of the hall before finishing her sentence.

Amu cringed. If that wasn't a clear give-away that the younger Hinamori was expecting, she didn't know what was.

"Oh, Amu, could you check on her, please?" Midori asked as she removed her glasses and squeezed the bridge of her nose.

With a silent nod, Amu slipped out of her shoes and fast-walked to the bathroom. She knocked quietly to make her presence known before opening the door and closing it securely behind her.

Ami sat on the tiled floor with her forehead on her knees, beside the toilet, which was in the middle of flushing down some thrown-up chunks of food.

"I can't do this, Amu." The auburn-haired girl whispered. "How could I have been so stupid as to get pregnant at this age?"

Lowering herself to the floor beside her younger sister, Amu was in an awkward state, not knowing whether to attempt to comfort the crying girl or to stay silent. They never had been close enough to express each other's feelings to each other.

"You're not going to…_take care _of it…are you?" She asked carefully.

Ami sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve. "You mean an abortion?" She clarified before going quiet. "I…I don't know." She answered truthfully. "I know I'm not ready to be a mom….but abortion doesn't feel right."

Amu could honestly say she was surprised. She'd always thought of Ami as a selfish bitch who only cared about herself. "Well…you _are _too young to be having a baby… but, I mean…mom and I are always here to help."

They were both drowned by a bubble of silence once more. Ami was still rocking herself back and forth to attempt to soothe her churning stomach while Amu leaned her back against the cold bathtub. There weren't any words to exchange, really. It was like shoving two opposites into a cage and force them to find something in common before they could be released from said cage. In fact, that _was _the exact situation they were in.

"Amu, there's someone at the door for you!" Midori called through the bathroom door after knocking once.

"For what it's worth…" Amu began hesitantly after Midori had walked away. "I'm going to help you get through this. There's no way you'll be alone."

Ami's eyes sparkled with tears as she looked over at her older sister. "P-promise?"

The pinkette's gaze dropped down to the pinky finger Ami was sticking out. She smiled softly and hooked her finger around her sister's. "I promise."

Amu rose to her feet and helped Ami up as well before stepping out of the bathroom. Once they reached the kitchen, Midori caught Amu's gaze and nodded towards the front door, where an all-too familiar, tall, handsome teenager was standing.

If her mom wasn't there to stop her, Amu would have run away. Having Ikuto be at her house wasn't exactly something she planned to do anytime soon. If possible, she'd delay it for her entire life. Just standing in the doorway gave him a perfect insight to the Hinamori family. With Ami wearing baggy pyjamas and looking like a mess and her mom burning food again, Amu was already becoming embarrassed.

"Ikuto!" She finally choked out. "Wh-wh-what are you doing here?" She quickly examined her surroundings to make sure the house wasn't a mess like it usually was.

Even a blind person could tell Ikuto was amused. In fact, the pinkette was positive he included 'making Amu uncomfortable' to his ever-growing list of hobbies. He needed to find a new hobby, and fast.

"Who is this, Amu-chan?" Midori asked, eyes wide as she slithered out of the kitchen and stared at Ikuto.

Amu whirled around and waved her hands in the air in a failed attempt to try to block Ikuto from her mother's view.

"H-he's nobody! Just a fr-"

"How cruel, Amu." Ikuto pressed a hand to his chest dramatically. "Is that the way you treat your boyfriend?"

The pinkette's blood turned cold as her mouth went dry and stomach plummeted. She felt the entire house go still as even the furniture grew interested in the conversation and decided to listen in. She didn't dare to make even the slightest movement.

"_Boyfriend_?" Her mother and sister repeated in unison.

Midori bounded across the room and shook Ikuto's hand, stars dancing brightly in her eyes as she smiled dreamily up at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Amu's boyfriend! Would it be an interference to ask for your name?" Her voice was shaking in excitement. Now it was Amu's turn to sit back and watch the show with a smirk while Ikuto stood there awkwardly.

"Uhh… Tsukiyomi Ikuto, ma'am." Ikuto replied warily before shooting Amu a look.

"What a beautiful, beautiful name." Midori commented breathlessly.

At this, Ami quickly stood up and grabbed onto her mom's arm. "Okay mom! Let's go finish the laundry!"

Amu gave Ami a grateful look as the younger sister walked past with her mom dragging behind her, still ogling over the beauty standing in the entryway. Midori's words were muffled by the laundry room door closing, and Amu was sure she heard the door lock behind them. She'd have to repay Ami somehow for taking care of that embarrassing situation.

Just remembering Ikuto was there, Amu whirled around, only to crash into his chest, not realizing he had stepped closer to her. She jumped away and balanced herself back onto her feet while flinging her arms around.

"What are you doing here? You should have at least called first! O-or…I don't know! A carrier pigeon perhaps?"

Ikuto leaned down and kissed her softly.

It was amazing what she could forgive when he was around. He had created direction in her life, instead of her veering off path and getting lost, like she always did. In a way, he was her guardian angel - a perverted one, at that, but nonetheless, he was always there for her and seemed to know just what to say or do to make her feel better.

"You silly girl. Wasn't it you who told me to meet you here before we went to the mall?"

Amu snapped out of her daze, eyes widening as she stared up at him. "No way.." she gasped quietly. "I completely forgot.."

Ikuto laughed before resting his forehead against hers. "Are you ready to go?"

His eyes made her forget how to breath.

"…Y-yeah…"

As soon as he looked away, she felt in control of her body again.

"Good, then let's go!" He announced while walking out the door.

Trying not to laugh evilly, Amu quickly followed in suit. What she 'accidentally' forgot to tell him was that they wouldn't be going for the mall simply to shop, but to join in on a mission.

**-OoOoOo-**

"Is this _really_ necessary?"

"Of course it is!" She stated eagerly.

The foursome hid behind an arrangement of baby sweaters in the store opposite of the mall's food court. Just across the walkway sat two familiar faces at one of the small, round tables the mall had to offer them. The blond was examining the table's surface in distaste while the boy awkwardly scanned the area while bouncing his knee up and down.

"Yo, Hinamori, when is it going to get good?" Kukai asked, craning his neck to look over Utau and Ikuto to see Amu.

The pinkette shrugged and looked back at him. "Should I call her now?"

"Please do." Ikuto muttered as he rolled off of his stomach and sat up straight, rubbing his sore neck. They all had lost track of how long they had been lying there, keeping an eye on the couple.

Amu nodded once and reached into her pocket, her heart skipping a beat once realizing she had left her cell phone at home. If she hadn't been so flustered with Ikuto's sudden arrival, she would have had it with her. Blame Ikuto. It was all his fault.

"I-it's at home!" She whispered.

Ikuto took his phone from his pocket and rolled back onto his stomach, tossing the cellular device to his girlfriend.

Amu blushed and thanked him timidly before quickly dialling Rima's number. The four waited impatiently as it rung. All eyes were on the petite blond sitting at the table. She moved to reach into her oversized purse, fetching her phone.

Her eyebrow's furrowed in confusion at the sight of the number that popped up on her caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hey Rima!" Amu greeted.

Rima arched a brow. "Where are you? And why's your number different?"

"Oh, I'm using Ikuto's phone." The pinkette replied. "And um… so I kind of forgot we were all going to meet up today and I'm with Ikuto and Utau at the movie theatre…" She said hesitantly, cringing as she braced herself for the unimpressed insults to be thrown her way by the blond time bomb.

There was silence on the other end while Amu held her breath.

"…Oh."

"I-I'm so sorry!"

"…Ah, it's fine. Maybe shopping with gay-wad will provide some learning experiences. I've heard gays are good at matching colors and what-not."

"I'm not gay!" Nagihiko's voice chimed in.

Ikuto, Utau, and Kukai all turned to look at Nagihiko, who was blushing crimson under the gazes of the surrounding people who were enjoying their meals.

"It's okay, Fujisaki, you can come out on your own time. When you're ready." Rima comforted blandly. "Oh, but you owe me big time, Amu. I'll report back to you when I get home." She hung up before Amu could answer.

The four friends slowly crawled out of their hiding places once Rima dragged Nagihiko deeper into the mall and out of sight. The employees of the baby clothing store all eyed the group suspiciously while half-heartedly doing their jobs at the same time. No one could blame them for being weirded out by the four teens, seeing as how they were all wearing sunglasses and hats. It was all for 'safety's sake' Amu claimed.

"Okay, troops, let's split up!" The pinkette stated. "Kukai and Ikuto will go to the right side of the mall and I'll go with Utau to the other side. We'll come back here in about an hour."

They set off in different directions, trying to act as normal as possible while dressed in their obvious disguises. Naturally, Amu wanted to venture off with Ikuto, but the pairing was created by Kukai, who was sticking to his 'ignore Utau' plot. It hadn't really been making any progress, but he was as determined as ever to get a response out of her so his sanity would come back to him. Even if it was a rejection he'd receive from her, he was willing to take the risk just to get back to normal.

Utau admired a display on a manikin while Amu scanned the area for the couple under investigation. "Do you think green's my color?" Utau asked, playing with the collar of her shirt while staring at the blouse in front of her.

The pinkette walked over and switched her gaze from the shirt, then to the blond. Shaking her head, she wandered further into the store in search of the exact blouse in a dark shade of purple.

Finding the perfect top, she hurried back to Utau and handed it to her. "This is your color."

Utau stared at the shirt. "Purple? Why?"

"I don't really know…I've never been good at this whole fashion thing. But it matches your eyes, so I guess that's a good thing." Amu replied honestly with a shrug.

Utau's gaze turned to something behind Amu's shoulder. She quickly pushed Amu into the nearest coat rack and jumped into it with her. "They're here." She whispered in response to Amu's look of confusion. The two stood as still as possible and tried not to breath as they peeked through the jackets at Rima and Nagihiko.

Nagihiko already had a dozen bags dangling from his hands as he followed Rima around. He didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, it was almost as if he was enjoying it.

The blond skidded to a stop at an arrangement of spaghetti-strap tops. "Which one?"

Nagihiko scanned through them with a frown. "None." He stated before wandering around the store in search of something in particular. He stopped at the same rack of blouses that Amu was at earlier.

Setting half of the bags down at his feet, he removed from it's hanger a short-sleeved red blouse with small ruffles lining it. "This is a good color and style for you. Red looks especially good on blonds and the cute style matches your appearance perfectly."

Rima snatched the shirt away and turned around to hide the blush on her cheekbones. She, Utau, and Amu, all noticed that he basically just called her cute.

As the two continued to watch the couple prowl through the store, Amu could sense Utau taking mental notes for future shopping ventures.

Finally reaching the cash register, Nagihiko tried on a dress shirt while Rima paid for the blouse.

The boy was just fiddling with the sleeves of the shirt when an employee with a hop in his stride, thick glasses, a pink sweater tied around his shoulders, and blue hair similar to Ikuto's waltzed over to him.

"Chin up." He commanded. He slid two fingers into the collar of Nagihiko's shirt. "This is a perfect size for you. You should be able to fit two fingers to know if it fits properly."

If it wasn't the sweater around his shoulders that gave it away, it was his voice. Amu and Utau exchanged glances with each other, both of their gay-dars sounding loudly. This man was hitting on _their _Nagi. Amu was about to lunge out of the coats and strangle the worker when Rima slowly walked up to the two men.

She cleared her throat calmly and gave the employee a steely look. "That is _my _gay man. Go find your own."

Without another word, Rima stormed out of the shop while Nagihiko scrambled to get the shirt back onto the rack before he chased after Rima.

When the coast was clear, Utau shifted her attention to Amu. "Remind me again why we're here. I don't see why we have to follow them. They're already here together aren't they? Plus they seem to be getting along pretty dang well. Us spying on them isn't helping them out at all."

Amu was silent as she took all this into thought. "You have a point." She finally replied with a sigh. So they couldn't help out after all. "Could you call Kukai and ask him to meet up with us?"

Utau scoffed as she punched numbers into her phone. "That Souma kid hasn't talked to me all week. I'll phone Ikuto instead, since he actually speaks and isn't afraid of me."

Amu slyly glanced at the blond. So the ignoring plan _was _affecting her. It was obvious she wasn't all too happy about it.

As the phone rang, the pinkette watched the gay employee with slanted eyes. How dare he hit on Nagihiko. And on his work shift too!

She stepped out of the coats and was about to look away, when the man's cell started to ring. He answered just as Ikuto's voice rang out from Utau's phone.

"Yo."

Utau also seemed to notice the connection between the worker whose back was facing them, and the voice on the other line. "Ikuto..? Where are you?"

The employee turned around just as Kukai was walking out of one of the change rooms, holding the clothes Ikuto was wearing earlier.

Ikuto, dressed perfectly to resemble a gay man, flashed a charming, crooked smile at Amu as he hung up the phone.

"Wh-what…what is this?" Amu asked as she took the glasses and sweater off of Ikuto.

He raked a hand through his hair to get rid of the dorky comb-over and chuckled. "It was crazy Kukai's idea."

"W-was not!"

"He forced me into these clothes when we realized that nothing was really happening between those lovebirds." Ikuto confessed. "Do you think it helped them out at all?"

Amu laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I think it did." She stepped on her tip-toes to kiss him as Kukai and Utau awkwardly looked away.

"So uh… can we go home now?" The brunette asked after the couple had finally parted.

Ikuto wrapped his arm around Amu's shoulder and pulled her closer as she held onto his waist. "Yeah, why not? I think our work here is done."

"Oh, speaking of work, I have to clean the house today." Amu announced as she de-clung herself from Ikuto. "I'll see you all later-" She didn't get to finish her sentence before Ikuto had pulled her back.

"You really expect to ask me out on a date, only for it to end up being a stake-out, and think I'd be okay with not spending the day with you?" He asked with a sneaky glint in his eye that made Amu blush. "I think I should come home with you and help clean."

Judging by his expression, Amu knew she didn't have a choice but to take him home with her.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Amu didn't know how she got herself into this situation. Not only was her family nowhere to be found, but Ikuto was taking advantage of them being alone by making himself comfortable on Amu's bed.

The pinkette was standing in the doorway glaring at him while carrying a basket of clean clothes, her foot holding the door open. "What are you doing?" She asked, her tone mirroring her facial expression as she stepped further into the room.

Ikuto looked up innocently from his spot on the bed before faking a yawn as he stretched his arms out. "It's late…I'm so tired. I might just have to crash here tonight."

Amu glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand beside Ikuto. It was nearly 10 P.M. already. They had spent the whole day cleaning the house and doing all the chores Amu would usually do on her own. Despite the occasional perverted comment from the blue-haired boy, Amu had to admit she enjoyed doing housework with him.

Dropping the basket onto the bed beside Ikuto, she tried to hide a blush as she started folding her laundry. "There's no way you're sleeping in my bed." She stated firmly, folding a t-shirt.

Ikuto slowly sat up and reached into the basket, removing a pair of socks he folded together and set aside. "You say you're opposed to me sleeping in your bed, but you didn't say anything about me spending the night." He pointed out before shooting a sneaky look in her direction.

Amu's cheeks heated up in an instant before she looked away and huffed. "You have your own bed."

He had a hesitant look in his eyes as he reached for another clothing article to fold. "That's true…I never use it, though." He replied quietly, not sure if he wanted Amu to hear or not.

But she did hear, and her eyebrows slanted downwards in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Ikuto raised his head so his deep blue eyes flashed up to hers, his hair falling over his eyes at the sudden movement.

Amu almost looked away at the intensity in his gaze. She knew she struck a touchy subject, but if he told her more about himself, she could be that much more of a help to him. Of course it wouldn't be the easiest thing - opening up - but it was the first step to getting better.

He sighed and set a pair of the pinkette's jeans onto the pile of folded clothes beside him. "My step dad and I don't really…get along." He began slowly. "If you didn't get that already. He works day shifts and comes home at around 6 every night, so I take the graveyard shift at work so I don't have to be in the house when he's around." He casually reached for more clothes to fold. "In other words, I don't sleep at night, because that's when I work, as I can't stand his presence."

The pinkette grew still as she stopped folding a shirt. Her gaze wandered down to her carpeted floor as she processed it all. She couldn't imagine hating someone in your household so badly that you lost sleep over it. So that's why Ikuto was famous for sleeping during class. She was sure he had even gotten a few detentions because of it, too.

"How do you get your sleep, then?" Amu asked slowly. "I mean, I know you sleep during class, but that's only like…half an hour, maybe an hour, but…that's not enough to keep you going, is it?"

Ikuto shrugged. "I sleep as much as I can when I get home from work at four in the morning, that's when he leaves for work. I get a 4 hour nap and head off to school, then after school I get 3 more hours of sleep before I have to get out of the house so I don't risk running into him." He shrugged again. "It's not so bad once you're used to it."

Chewing on her bottom lip, Amu watched Ikuto carefully as he stacked her jeans into one pile, then did the same with her shirts. It wouldn't be too bad if he slept over…on the floor of course. She nearly blushed at the thought of him just sleeping in her room. Didn't matter if it was the floor or bed, he was still there. But at the same time, it did matter where it was he slept, because having him in the bed was a huge 'No'.

Without another word, she hurried out of her room, tip-toeing across the hall to her mom's bedroom. She cracked open the door and gazed inside the warm, dark room, catching her mom's silhouette on her bed while her loud snoring bounced off the walls and reached Amu in no time.

Shutting the door as gingerly as possible, the pinkette moved onto the door to her side and peered into that room, where she found Ami sitting at her desk with her back to her sister, headphones on with music blaring so loud, Amu could almost make out what the lyrics were.

The coast was clear. Until morning, that is. But right now, she wanted to be there for Ikuto. And if letting him sleep over was how she could help…well, she'd have to suck it up and deal with it.

Just as she returned to her room and shut the door behind her, Amu's stomach dropped at the sight of her bra in Ikuto's hand. He was acting so calm as he set it aside with the other two bras he had found. His serenity made her blush even more.

When he pulled another one of out the laundry basket, she lunged forwards and made her presence known by snatching the bra away from him before gathering up the pile of others, dropping one in the meantime, though she hardly noticed.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing?" Great. Not only was her blush so painfully obvious, but she was stuttering too.

Ikuto smirked and slowly handed her the bra she had dropped. That one had little bows on the straps. She wanted to jump off her balcony.

"Just…doing the laundry." He replied with ease.

Amu's stomach continued to drop at the realization that he had seen her bras. She didn't care about the dorky patterns, or even the colors of them, but he had seen how tiny they were. Which clearly meant, he now knew just how flat-chested she was. Her biggest insecurity.

She unconsciously hid the bundle of bras behind her back. "U-um… did-"

"I don't care." Ikuto reassured, his eyes dancing playfully at her. "The patterns on them - I don't care. I think they're cute. It's nothing to be embarrassed about." He had clearly seen her uncomfortable facial expression, but that's not what was making her so uneasy.

"N-no it's… just that-" Amu hesitated, stumbling over her words. "They're…tiny."

She waited for his response. He continued to simply look at her, his expression unreadable. His lack of reaction made her even more antsy.

Finally, Ikuto spoke slowly. "It's…really no secret that you're not the most endowed."

'Clever wording' The pinkette thought bitterly as she glared at him.

He laughed and held up his hands innocently. "I'm not complaining. I don't care about that." He replied honestly. "I mean, it's an added bonus, but hey, I'll live without it." He winked at her and grabbed onto her hands, pulling her closer.

If she wasn't blushing before, she certainly was now. Amu was about to give in and kiss him, but stopped when their foreheads were resting against each other. "How does he abuse you?" She whispered.

Her heart nearly stopped beating as he exhaled sharply. He didn't let go of her hands, though, which was a good sign.

Ikuto kept his eyes closed and their foreheads together when he replied, "A belt. …Whenever I, or Utau does something to piss him off, he takes a belt to my back."

Amu was never one to judge someone before getting to know them, but she already felt hatred bubbling inside her at the thought of his step-dad lashing out on him for no particular reason. There were some people in the world who would be better off gone. If all they did was cause pain for others, what was the point in keeping them around?

"Lift up your shirt." She said quietly.

At this Ikuto moved his head away from hers to send her a half teasing, half seductive smile. "You just want to get me naked."

Amu blushed vibrantly before commanding herself to put up a strict front. "Please."

He pursed his lips together and gripped the bottom of his shirt as she rounded the bed so she was behind him. Amu didn't blame him for being hesitant. This was a big step to make. Especially since just moments before he had finally told someone about the abuse. That alone was difficult.

Finally, Amu watched his shirt slowly stagger up his back and onto the bed beside him. Her eyes widened at the long, white scars that lined his back. They were everywhere. From the top of his shoulder blades to his back dimples. She couldn't imaging the pain he endured every time the belt came into contact with his skin.

"It's your turn, now." Ikuto's voice nearly caused her to jump out of her skin.

"Wh-what?" Amu exclaimed, watching with wide eyes as he pulled his shirt back over his head. "I am not taking my top off!"

He laughed and shook his head, turning around to face her. He slowly reached out and held onto her wrist with one hand as the other pushed up her sleeve.

She wanted to squirm out of his grasp and pretend there wasn't anything marking her skin. She wasn't ready to tell him the reason behind those scars.

Amu slid her arm away from him and pulled the sleeve back down. "I-I'm…not ready to tell you, yet." She said slowly.

Ikuto nodded to show he understood. "Okay. Just…promise me you won't do it again. I know it'll be tempting, since it's something you've always relied on to get you through the tough times, but…I'd rather have you rely on _me_ when you're about to fall apart." His voice was soft and soothing. A tone a mother would use to lull her child to sleep.

Amu found it comforting and nodded hesitantly, giving him a small smile. "…Okay."

Leaning out, Ikuto planted a kiss on the pinkette's forehead before throwing himself onto the mattress. "Time for bed!"

Amu glared. "Yeah, right!" She moved the empty basket off the bed and onto the floor before gathering some blankets from the closet and setting up a sleeping station for Ikuto beside her bed.

Long after the lights were out and Ikuto had dozed off, the pinkette fell into a deep sleep, and an ominous dream world trapped her inside.

_ - 4 Months Earlier-_

_She had just been waiting for her father outside of his office. The night sky was empty - not a single star in sight. With nothing but the moon and a flickering streetlamp, it was almost impossible for her to see anything, except for when the occasional lights of a car flashed by, illuminating the surrounding skyscrapers._

_It was past midnight on a Sunday, everyone was bound to be sound asleep. _

_She took a few steps away from the wall of her dad's office, walking slowly down the sidewalk. Once going as far as her bravery would allow her, she turned back around and began in the direction from which she came. It was then that she spotted the older man standing on the curb, a cigarette in his hand and his cell in another. _

_She recognized him - a co-worker of her father's. He was a burly man with a permanent straight face. His hair was noticeably greying and wrinkles sat on his forehead. He wasn't an old man, but time had certainly done a number on him. _

_Upon realizing he wasn't alone, he shut his phone off and smiled at the girl standing just a few feet away. "Cigarette?" He offered, holding out the nearly empty pack. _

_She shook her head 'no' and smiled apologetically. She didn't particularly enjoy inhaling a toxic that would destroy her lungs. _

_He shrugged and slid the pack back into his pocket before striking up a conversation with her. "Waiting for your old man, huh?" He clarified. She nodded meekly before taking a look at her watch. She had been waiting almost an hour and wanted to go home. She had to be waking up for school in just a few hours. _

_The man looked around and smiled. "Want to see something?"_

_Amu looked over her shoulder at the building behind her, searching for any sign of her dad. He had to change a light bulb in his office. It seemed that he could no longer tolerate the obnoxious blinking coming from his ceiling and tonight was the night to change it. _

_"I really shouldn't. My dad should be here any min-"_

_He had stepped closer and was now breathing down her neck, slowly placing her hands on each of her arms. "I insist." He whispered. "It won't be long." _

_She stood in a frozen state, her wide eyes glued to the streetlamp in front of her. Her breathing had grown shallow and caught in her throat while her heart hammered against her ribcage, threatening to break free. She could feel his hands slide down her arms, his fingers brushing against the skirt of her uniform. _

_Once his hand moved to her thigh, she broke out of her petrified spell and kicked behind her as hard as she could, driving her heel into his knee. _

_Tripping over herself, Amu felt her voice catch in her throat as she tried to scream out as she ran towards the front steps of the skyscraper in front of her. It was just three feet away when his steel hands latched onto her arms again, her bones crushing under his grip. _

_"Come on, Amu. You'll enjoy yourself." _

_She screamed out, lashing her body, kicking, wrestling, doing anything and everything to break free. He slapped a hand roughly over her mouth to silence her as he dragged her into a dark, wet alley littered with trash bags and abandoned candy wrappers._

_His grip around her arms increased. Amu felt all circulation cut off as she continued to try to fight him off. She was too weak compared to him. For all she knew, he could have been preparing for this for months, or had done this before. He knew what he was doing, and she knew she couldn't escape. _

_He threw her against the cold brick wall behind a dumpster, pressing his body against her trembling one. _

_Amu sobbed as her eyes overflowed with tears. She wriggled against the wall, feeling the rough edges of the bricks slice into her arms. _

_Her tormentor ignored her muffled cries and unzipped her skirt, his laboured breathing was heavy in her ear._

_She felt sick. She could feel the bile rise up in her throat at the thought of giving in and allowing him to get his sick pleasure. Amu wriggled and squirmed underneath his weight, biting his hand and slapping him away. _

_Nothing seemed to work. It was then that her blood ran cold at the feeling of his rough hand against her bare thigh. More tears made their presence known as she screamed out again, barely able to hear her own voice against his hand. _

_It was impossible to breath. She struggled, cried out, kicked, thrashed, did everything she could manage while hard, heavy sobs wracked her trembling body as he shoved his lips against hers. He pushed inside of her eagerly without hesitation. He was tearing through her and didn't care. She shrieked out in pain as he shoved again, his breathing pattern quickening with excitement. _

_Amu cried as she grew numb against the wall, no longer feeling the bricks digging into her skin and drawing blood. She couldn't feel the cold air or see her surroundings. All she could feel was a monster shredding into her without care. _

_He must have been finished, since he zipped him and herself back up and smiled a cruel, twisted, sick smile and stroked her cheek. _

_The lump in her throat made her neck sore as she refused to look him in the eye, her body still shaking. _

_"Let's keep this our little secret, shall we?"_

Amu screamed out again, her body thrashing in her thick blankets that chained her to the bed. She felt someone's hands on both of her arms as he said her name.

"No! Let go of me!" She cried, scratching the man's arms and pushing away from him. She crashed to the floor and pressed her back against the wall, continuing to struggle with the person in her dream.

"Amu! Wake up!"

Her eyes opened slowly as she sobbed into her knees, her stomach churning in disgust. The room around her was dark, with the exception of the silvery light of the moon sliding in through her balcony door.

Ikuto knelt in front of her, worried out of his mind without knowing what to do.

Amu's gaze adjusted to the shape in front of her, preparing to fight him off. But his face wasn't the one she was expecting to see.

"I-Ikuto?" She sobbed. Reaching out, she felt the familiarity of the fabric of his shirt and pulled herself over to him, burying her face into his chest as she quivered, her tears seeming never-ending.

Ikuto gingerly held onto her, rocking her back and forth while whispering comforting words in her ear.

Her nerves calmed at the sound of his voice, smell of his shirt, and by feeling his arms around her, keeping her safe. But every time she closed her eyes, the face of her tormentor, Hoshina Kazuomi, was still fresh in her mind.


	20. Chapter 20

Author's Note: I'm sorry it's been so long, guys! But, well… it is summer vacation after all. Still, I will hopefully be updating much sooner!

Chapter 20

With her violet eyes set in front of her, Utau pulled open the heavy doors and marched into the bustling high school, feeling a rush of air swipe through her long hair. The school day had just ended and she was determined to hunt down the certain brunette who had been driving her crazy for the past week or so. This time, he wouldn't be able to escape her.

She bombarded through the students crowding the hallway. If she had knocked someone down, she'd hardly notice.

Just as she was about to stomp down the stairs, a familiar mess of blue hair caught her attention, pulling her back up the few steps she had started down.

The blond neared the older teen, who was about to bite into a chocolate muffin. Why he loved chocolate so much, she never understood.

"Have you seen Souma anywhere?" Utau asked darkly.

Ikuto pulled away from the muffin, his eyebrows slanting downwards. "Not recently. Why?" He watched his sister carefully, searching for any answers in her expression. "I'm guessing he did something wrong..?"

Violet eyes flashing as she looked back at her older brother, she huffed loudly and blew her hair out of her face. "He's driving me crazy with this whole 'ignore Utau' thing! I hate it! Freakin' pissing me off beyond belie- can I have that? Thanks." Without waiting for an answer, the blond reached out and snatched the muffin away from Ikuto. The baked good was in her mouth in an instant.

Ikuto watched in silence as a herd of crumbs tumbled down the front of her shirt.

"Mmm so good!" Utau exclaimed, her voice muffled as she attempted to chew and talk at the same time. "I haven't eaten since breakfast. Oh hey-" Her eyes grew wide as she gently slapped the back of her hand against Ikuto's chest. "Where were you all weekend?"

Ikuto gingerly snatched up the remaining bits of muffin and popped them in his mouth. "Amu's."

Stopping all she was doing, Utau flashed the famous Tsukiyomi smirk while sending him a sneaky look. "Oh, really?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "And what all did you and Amu-dear do?"

Catching the glint in her eye, Ikuto chuckled and turned his gaze downwards, shaking his head.

Utau gasped. "Look at this!" She poked his cheek. "Someone's blush-ing! Did you do the deed already?"

Continuing to shake his head, Ikuto trapped his little sister in a chokehold. "You have a dirty mind, young one."

"Don't mess up the hair!" She bellowed before struggling her way out of his grasp.

"To satisfy your daily dose of gossip; No, we did not." He casually reached into the brown bag in his hand and pulled out another muffin. To ensure Utau didn't steal this one, it was in his mouth in an instant. "You were okay on your own in that hellhole of a house?"

Utau sent him a look. "Ikuto, I was fine. You don't need to worry about me so much!" She laughed softly. "Go out and enjoy your life! Really, I'm fine."

He continued to look wary while nodding hesitantly.

A certain brunette who just walked up the stairs forced Utau to tune out of the conversation. "And if you'll excuse me, I have a boy to murder."

"Utau.." He pulled out his warning tone, but she kept marching forwards.

Kukai shifted his duffel bag on his shoulder, readjusting the strap for his comfort, all the while being entirely oblivious to the malicious female headed his way.

Utau stopped right in front of him, crossed her arms, and glared at him in silence.

Realizing who it was in front of him, the brunette kept his eyes down. Part of him was sticking to the 'ignore' plan, while the other part was a little too scared to meet her gaze.

"Really?" The blond huffed in disbelief. "You're not even going to acknowledge my presence?"

Again, there was nothing but silence as a response.

"Is this because I didn't respond to your confession? How would you react if that happened to you? You can't exactly respond straight away if you think the person's lying and it's just a prank that they're pulling on you! Plus, ever heard of the phrase 'hard to get'? You clearly don't know what that means! If a girl's ignoring you, that means she wants you to man up, grow some balls, and start a conversation with her. If you don't, she'll think you don't care about her enough to do that!" Utau vented angrily. "If you think I don't like you because I was ignoring you, that's not true!" Her voice grew quieter as she stared down at her shoes. "Not true at all…"

Kukai's eyes lit up as he looked away from the floor and to the blond in front of him, who wasn't making eye-contact. "A-are you saying..?"

Utau shook her hair out of her eyes and pointed her chin in the air. "No. What I'm saying…is that you have to make it up to me by asking me out on an official date. How you ask me will have to be creative, and where we go will also have to be creative. Then I'll officially admit my feelings for the world to hear…maybe. Until then, you'll be just an acquaintance to me."

Letting her words sink in and not allowing him a chance to respond, Utau inhaled deeply while walking away, trying to calm her heart that was nearly breaking through her ribcage.

Ikuto watched in silence as his little sister passed by him, hardly noticing him there. After Utau disappeared down the hallway, he glanced over at Kukai, who had broken out of his frozen state and had fist-pumped the air before doing a little jig.

The blue-haired teen chuckled and slid his hands into his pockets. This certainly ended up being an interesting turn of events.

Author's Note: Yes….I know, terrible, short chapter. But NEXT CHAPTER! Aaah. I'm excited to start it. Let's just say Amu tells Ikuto everything. Everything. Bye!


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Amu was having an internal battle with herself as she waited on the front steps of Seiyo High School with a stack of books balanced in each hand. Fiddling with the spine on her math textbook, she nibbled the inside of her lower lip while her eyes slowly started glazing over as she sunk deeper into her abysmal pool of thoughts.

She had to tell him. He was her boyfriend after all, so of course she had to tell him. Wasn't that the reason she had asked him to come over to her house today? Yes. But she was already regretting the invitation. Her hands had been trembling since the beginning of last period, and they showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Not to mention she was also having difficulty breathing and could swear there were sweat beads slowly emerging from her forehead.

Squeezing her eyes shut until she saw stars, the pinkette took slow, deep breaths while listening to her heart hammer against her ribcage.

"Now, this won't work."

Amu quickly opened her eyes and tried to focus her hazy vision on the boy standing beside her.

Ikuto was frowning as he removed the books from Amu's right hand. "You should always have at least one hand available for me." He spoke calmly while interlocking their fingers, then nodded in front of them. "Shall we go?"

Seeming to have lost her voice in the past ten minutes, the pinkette could only nod in response before Ikuto lead the way down the sidewalk.

Amu was tempted to walk in the opposite direction to delay as much as possible. If she did do that, he wouldn't get too suspicious, right? She almost laughed at herself - almost, but not quite. She didn't have any sense of humour at the moment.

"Are you okay?" Ikuto asked before he slowed to a stop.

The pinkette looked up at him and managed to smile. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

He didn't seem convinced as he arched an eyebrow and continued walking. "Well…no reason, really. Just that you've been staring at the garden over there for the past five minutes." He pointed out before gesturing towards the extraordinary garden a few feet in front of them.

Amu had always loved passing by that house, just so she could enjoy the sight of the brightly coloured flowers that sprung up from the fluffy grass.

"I love daffodils." She replied lamely. Stuttering out some words, she attempted to make sense of her previous sentence and tried to tie it in with why she was zoning out. "I-I mean, every time I see them, my day gets a little brighter and it's pretty hard not to smile."

"So you'd rather look at flowers instead of talk to me?" Ikuto clarified before feigning a look of hurt as they crossed the street, leaving the garden of daffodils behind them. "How cold."

In an attempt to apologize, Amu lifted their intertwined fingers and kissed his hand. "I'm sorry. What was it that you were saying?"

"I want a giraffe."

Amu must have given him the weirdest look Ikuto had ever seen, since he backed slightly away from her. "What? They're cute! Can you blame me?"

"But that's so…random."

"Says the person who daydreams about dandelions."

"Daffodils." Amu corrected as she unlocked the front door to her house. "There is a difference, you know."

Ikuto muttered incoherent words under his breath as he hung up his jacket on a nearby coat rack while Amu locked the door behind them. Midori was due to be done work late that evening and Ami was staying at a friend's place. But even with Ikuto in the house with her, Amu was still paranoid that a stranger could walk through the front door at any minute and go on a killing spree.

In a moment, they shut themselves up in Amu's room. Ikuto dropped Amu's books onto her desk and exhaled softly, collapsing onto the bed.

The pinkette remained standing by her closed door with her back pressed against the wall, eyes focused on the floor.

She had to tell him. He deserved to know. That way, if he was…disgusted by the truth…he could- Amu swallowed thickly- leave her. She didn't blame him if he did want to leave. She was a mess, and the secret she was hiding was revolting.

"Oh, you know that pregnancy test of yours that I had?"

Amu's eyes widened as they flashed his direction. "Wh- uh…yeah." What was he just thinking about that made him bring that up? Her past boyfriends, perhaps? Oh gosh, he thought she was a slut.

"I didn't keep it for blackmail, I threw it away." Ikuto replied. "I'm sorry for being so immature and foolish." He chuckled lightly while shaking his head. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, even if it means blackmail."

"O-oh." Said the pinkette meekly. She knew that now was the time to tell him. He had the wrong impression of her. Heck, he probably thought she slept around with anyone she could.

Cringing, Amu slid down the wall and hugged her knees to her chest. "I-I have to tell you s-something."

_Oh God, end my life now. Make a rocket ship blast through my bedroom wall and kill me, but spare Ikuto. Smite me. Anything._

"What's wrong?"

Just the tiny bit of care in his voice made Amu want to cry. She felt like she had been betraying him this entire time.

"U-um…about the pregnancy test..-"

"Don't worry about it." Ikuto reassured with a slight chuckle. "Everyone has past relationships they're not proud of."

"No it's n-not that!" Amu exclaimed, her voice breaking.

She sat in silence, bumping her chin against her bony knees while trying to calm her breathing, already feeling the tears pricking at her eyes as the lump in her throat continued to grow. Ikuto sat across from her on the bed, also remaining silent. She didn't dare meet his gaze in fear of backing out of the confession.

"I-I…" She began hesitantly. "I was…w-was…raped. Five months ago."

Amu squeezed her eyes shut and leaned the back of her head against the wall. "I-I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to leave. It's gross._ I'm_ gross. I'm used property that's no good anymore. I just- …compared to all the other girls you could have, I don't see why you would want to stick with someone as filthy as me. All the virgin girls at school are amazing at baking, or painting, they're cute and innocent. Then there's me- a used tissue no one wants anymore. The 'goods' are gone." She inhaled slowly, trying to calm her erratic heart. Ikuto still hadn't uttered a word. "You should have someone perfect. You don't deserve a girl with scars on their wrists and a rape story." Amu whispered the last words, her voice swallowed up by the lump in her throat.

That was his cue to leave. They both knew that. And in just three steps, he could be out the door and gone from her life.

No matter how hard she tried, she could have never been properly prepared for this. She didn't blame him if he did want to leave. This was a lot to handle, especially since they hadn't even been dating all that long. Why'd he want to stay in a relationship where the girl was mentally unstable and paranoid of every dark corner?

It felt like hours before the bed squeaked as the weight of Ikuto's body was lifted off of it. Amu kept her eyes closed, hearing his footsteps stop just in front of her.

He knelt down slowly and reached out to grasp her hands in his. Amu squirmed as she felt the fabric of her sleeve get pushed further up her arm. She still refused to open her eyes. She didn't want to see the emotion in his eyes. Disgust, most likely. Well, Amu was already disgusted with herself enough for the both of them.

What he did next forced her eyes open in alarm, the tears building up at an even faster rate.

He was kissing the scars. Every individual slice that inked her skin was being kissed better to make the pain go away. It was done slowly and carefully - not rushed as if he wanted to hurry up and show a little sympathy before running away. It was almost as if he wanted to heal them and make the cuts disappear.

His soft lips lingered on the last scar near the bend in her arm before he sat up a little straighter to look into her eyes as he spoke. "I don't want someone perfect, with a hobby for baking, or anything like that.." Ikuto replied, gingerly touching Amu's scars. His deep indigo eyes searched hers as her heart pounded harder in her chest. "I just want you."

Those words were enough to send Amu jumping forward, flinging her arms tightly around Ikuto's neck as she let the tears escape their prison. She cried into his shoulder, feeling her entire body shake from the sobs and also from relief.

Ikuto sat there and held her, pressing his cheek into her hair.

They were two tragedies that had somehow found each other. Maybe it was on purpose that they came into each other's lives at the time they did. Any sooner would be pointless and later might've been too late.

Whether it was God, fate, or time that brought them together, they knew that when they were together, nothing else seemed to matter, because they were happy. And before meeting one another, happiness seemed out of reach.

They were imperfectly perfect for each other.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

It was chilly outside - the kind of weather you'd expect to freeze grass and shatter leaves. To make matters worse, the cold delivered an unforgiving wind along with it, which was enough to snap Amu's bones in half.

She stood in a trembling frenzy, her skin tingling and teeth chattering as her nose began to drip. Why Yukari, her PE teacher, forced them outside, she'd never know. Then again, Yukari always was rumoured to be made of steel, so she probably didn't even notice the weather.

Utau and her group of friends was huddled together, jumping up and down to keep warm, while Amu and Rima stood completely still in hopes of preserving the little body warmth they had left.

Yukari, on the other hand, remained invincible, sending out judgemental glares from her spot on the field as she waited impatiently for the class to 'man up'.

In the meantime, the senior gym class had wandered out of the school and made their way onto the field as well. They didn't seem too pleased with the weather either and howled out at the top of their lungs when a rush of wind racked through them and nearly threw them all off balance.

"Ssshhhiiiii-" Kukai caught the warning look from the coach and quickly changed his choice of words, "Shitake mushrooms I have for lunch! Yum, yum.." He attempted a light tinkle of laughter and slapped his knee, earning an eye roll from the coach.

"Nice save." Ikuto commented dryly, hauling a bag of pylons over his shoulder.

Saaya Yamabuki took this opportunity to huddle up against Kukai, claiming that she needed body warmth to prevent herself from freezing. Kukai didn't seem to completely hate the idea, but then again, he always was clueless when it came to girls flirting with him.

Saaya's gesture didn't go by unnoticed by Amu or Utau, though Amu figured she took it better than the blond, whose pig-tails nearly starting blasting out fireballs at the sight.

Before Utau could plough through the dead grass and snatch Kukai away, Yukari blew her whistle to grab everyone's attention.

"Alright, troops! Due to a slight mix-up as to who's-playing-where, we'll be joined by the grade 12's gym class. I don't want to hear you moping and complaining, and I especially don't want to hear you rejoicing over the matter! I don't want any monkey business with you hormonal-driven teenagers. Understand?" Her stern voice forced all the students to quickly nod their heads, even if they secretly disagreed.

Amu snuck a look at the other side of the field, where the older students were setting up for the game.

Ikuto sported black track pants and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He didn't seem to notice the cold as he bickered with Nagihiko over the placement of the boundary line that was to be marked with pylons. Nagi must have won the argument, since Ikuto stuck his tongue out at him before grudgingly tossing him a pylon.

"…It's us against them," Yukari continued with her explanation, "and what you have to do, is get as many of their beanbags as you can. Bring them back here to add to our collection. Once one team has all the beanbags, the game is over. Here's the catch: When you've crossed the line and are on the opposing team's side, they can pull you into their jail, where you'll have to wait to be freed by one of your team members who's brave enough to run and get you. Understand?"

Half the class didn't understand while the other half was too distracted by the attractive seniors to even care.

Amu sat on the cold ground in silence, continuing to watch the other team carefully. Saaya was on that team. With Ikuto. Not only was Saaya easy and flirty, but she also had a hot body. And those skimpy shorts and tiny top she was wearing did not make Amu feel any more comfortable. Her wavy red hair cascaded down her back as she bounced around happily, flashing that million-dollar smile she was so fond of.

"Ikuto-kuuun!" She called out happily. Hurrying over to where Ikuto was placing pylons in a line, she placed her hand overtop of his and moved the pylon he was currently holding. "There! Now it's a straight line." She giggled as he smirked at her.

"Thanks."

"Alright, let's play!" Yukari blew her whistle, making Amu jump and quickly look back at her teacher. She leaped to her feet and dropped the handful of grass she had unconsciously pulled out of the ground.

For a few minutes, the two groups just stood there looking at each other while making sure to stay on their side of the line.

A few daring boys from Amu's team were brave enough to mad-dash to the other side, only to be dragged into jail.

Amu didn't seem to notice the havoc that was happening around her. She was too busy keeping a watchful eye on Saaya. She had hated that red-head for years. They never had got along ever since they met in elementary school. Amu had good reasoning for her hatred, though, since Saaya was the one responsible for 'accidentally' spitting gum into the pinkette's hair, forcing her to chop it all off and look like a boy for all of third grade.

As she was sulking in silence, Amu's gaze wandered over to where Utau was standing, mirroring her actions - crossed arms and narrowed eyes.

Noticing Utau wasn't exactly paying attention to the game, Kukai seized the opportunity and slid through the loud teenagers who were running around astray. He easily dodged a younger student who scuttled past. His eyes were fixed on the blond and no one else could steal his attention, no matter how hard they tried.

Drawing closer, the brunette made sure to stay out of her peripheral vision as he crossed the boundary line so he was now on the other team's side.

The temptation to run over and drag him into jail was hard to resist, but Amu decided to wait and see what exactly Kukai had planned.

Just as Utau seemed to notice someone sliding over to her, Kukai wrapped both arms around her stomach and pulled her over to his side. Squirming to get out of his grasp, Utau threw insults in his direction, stopping once he spun her around and draped his arms around her shoulders.

"Well hello there." He spoke so quietly Amu had to inch closer to hear.

Utau attempted to glare at him, but it was obvious to anyone that she was fighting back a blush complete with a bashful smile. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kukai's eyebrows slanted downwards as he pursed his lips together, appearing deep in thought. "A public confession..?" He offered before leaning closer and pressing his lips to hers.

Amu nearly passed out due to all the blood that rushed to her head. They were kissing in front of everyone. That seemed so bizarre in Amu's world.

Finally everyone seemed to notice just what was going on between the two students and stopped running around to pause and clap while cheering at the top of their lungs as others whistled. Yukari and the coach didn't seem too pleased and even threatened to give them both a detention.

Amu blushed once again and looked away, spotting Ikuto a few yards away. He stood with his hands in his pockets (when were they not in his pockets?) with an unreadable expression. He probably didn't even know what reaction to give off seeing as how that was his little sister kissing his best friend.

He seemed to feel someone's eyes on him, since he looked away from the scene and made eye-contact with Amu. Ikuto smiled softly at her and slipped her a quick wink - if you blinked, you would've missed it.

She was instantly filled with a rush of warmth as her face coloured and she glanced away. He made her blush too often for her own good.

Ikuto calmly walked over to her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Do you think she'll be satisfied with that as a confession?" He asked while nodding in Utau's direction.

Amu also turned her eyes to look at the couple who was still attached to each other. "Well…she seems to be okay with it."

They shared a quiet laugh before Ikuto slung his arm around the pinkette's shoulder and pulled her closer. She could have melted into him right then and there, but what Yukari bellowed out to Utau and Kukai changed her mind on making any further P.D.A.

"That's it, you two! I'm bringing out the chainsaw!"

**Author's note: So yes, this took forever for me to update, and plus this chapter wasn't even all that Amuto-y. But this was mainly to move along Kutau's relationship :3 I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FEW LAST CHAPTERS TO COME! (There's about five chapters left)**  
**So please stay tuned! I will try very, very hard to update a lot faster!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Gently."

"I know, I know."

"Doesn't seem like you know! It's going to splatter everywhere if you're not careful enough." Ikuto clenched his jaw, cringing and cowering against the counter across the kitchen as he carefully watched Amu attempt to dice a fresh tomato.

The pinkette glared at him over her shoulder. She lifted the knife up in the air as a warning. "It's not that hard to cut up a tomato, deary."

Ikuto tip-toed over to Amu's spot and peered over her shoulder, surveying the crime scene. Perhaps it wasn't the whole 'destroying of the tomato' that made him shiver, but simply the sight of Amu with a knife. She always had been a clumsy one. Her with a knife was just a death wish. So then why did he agree to let her dice the tomatoes while he was in charge of grilling the meat?

When it came to the point where he was nearly kicking himself for making such a dumb decision, Amu placed the knife down onto the cutting board and glanced over at him, flashing him a cheeky grin. "Seeee? No harm done." She returned her gaze to the countertop, lifting up the cutting board and sweeping the tomato pieces into a bowl.

Ikuto walked back over to the stove and stirred around the ground beef, which sizzled louder as it relocated to opposite sides of the frying pan.

As he was distracted, Amu watched him in an adoring silence. The way his brow creased in concentration at the simplest tasks made her stomach flip. Biting on her lower lip, she tried to hide a smile before a blush could surface as she turned back to the countertop to start cutting up the lettuce. They were making tacos for Ikuto's family. Utau had been in her room since school ended and had yet to resurface, and their step-dad was due to be home soon, so Amu didn't want to waste any more time.

As she began chopping up the lettuce, the pinkette's thoughts turned to Ikuto's mom, Souko. Her golden-eyes filled with sorrow as she exhaled slowly. Souko had been in and out of the hospital for years until the leukemia had finally taken her life just days before this new school year started, leaving Utau and Ikuto alone with their step-dad, who couldn't care less about them. Amu found it almost surreal that she and Ikuto had found each other when they did. They were both in a time of need and stumbled across the very person that could help them cope with their struggles.

Drowning in thoughts, Amu hardly noticed Ikuto come up behind her until his arms wrapped around her mid-section and he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"We should go do something…fun."

Just his tone of voice made Amu blush madly as she squirmed out of his grasp. "W-we have to make dinner before your step-dad gets here." She reminded, keeping her back to him so he couldn't see her blushing, though it didn't do much, since Ikuto had already seen it.

For a brief moment, a thought passed through Ikuto's mind as he watched Amu rummage through the fridge for the green onion. Mind you, it was a very, very brief thought, but- he wondered what it would be like if they were married. Would they bicker constantly but still manage to make up by the end of the night? Or would they be one of those couples that everyone else looked up to as a good marital example?

The thought left his mind as soon as his cell phone rang from it's spot in his pocket.

He grimaced when the voice of his step-dad sounded in his ear.

Amu proceeded to chop of the green onion into fine pieces while idly listening to Ikuto respond with one-word answers.

"No, me and Amu are making dinner for everyone." He said, indifferent, tossing some seasoning into the pan of meat. "…Hinamori, why?" His tone was full of suspicion, Amu noticed, but she paid little attention to it as she brought the dirty dishes over to the sink to wash them.

It was when the water started running that she realized she hadn't peed since she woke up that morning, and it was about time she went again.

Excusing herself timidly, Amu voyaged down the hallway lined with photographs, pausing to take a quick scan of the pictures. There were hardly any of Ikuto, which was expected of him to not want to show his face in family pictures. The pinkette slowly continued walking, moving down the line of photographs. Utau was the cutest when she was younger - sporting curly pigtails and big, round eyes that sparkled just for the camera. Amu smiled softly at the pictures, then froze in an instant, her smile vanishing and her blood running cold as her legs felt like they had been turned to lead.

There were three pictures with him in them. Him as in, Kazuomi Hoshina - her rapist. He was there, in the photograph right in front of her, with Ikuto and Utau by his side.

Amu's eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh shit." She breathed out quietly.

He was Ikuto's step-dad and he would be coming home from work soon to meet her for the first time - officially. For all she knew he could be walking up to the front door this instant.

With her heart hammering against her ribcage, Amu took quick, shaky steps back to the kitchen to find Ikuto.

He had hung up the phone and was now scraping the ground beef into a bowl next to the diced tomatoes.

Amu knew she had to get out of there as soon as possible, but she still couldn't find her voice. Kazuomi knew she was here, too, since Ikuto had unknowingly exposed her whereabouts over the phone just now by telling him who was helping with dinner and what her full name is. Surely the name 'Hinamori Amu' wouldn't escape his memory.

"I-Ikuto…" Amu began, her voice trembling noticeably. "I'm not f-feeling good, I think I'm g-going to go home." It wasn't exactly a lie, as she felt like she would vomit up her intestines any minute now.

His eyebrows slanted downwards in concern. "Are you sure you won't be able to have dinner?"

Amu could only nod silently, eyes darting to the door to make sure Kazuomi wasn't here yet.

Ikuto turned off the stove and walked over to her, rubbing her arm soothingly. "Okay, I'll get my keys."

"N-no, that's okay. Fresh air always helps me feel a little better." Amu reassured. He would instantly notice that something was different with her if he drove her home. For his sake, she couldn't tell him it was Kazuomi who raped her. If Kazuomi found out that his step-son knew, who knows what he would do to make sure Ikuto stayed silent. Also, who knew what Ikuto would do to Kazuomi if he discovered the full truth.

"Really, it's no trouble to drive you. I'd prefer it, actually." Ikuto insisted, already shrugging into his jacket.

Amu reached out and grabbed Ikuto's hand, staring into his eyes. "I'd rather walk. Honestly. It helps me feel better. Plus I doubt I could keep anything down if I was forced to sit in a car that rocked me around every minute."

The blue-haired teen was silently thinking it over as he stared back at her coldly. It was clear that he didn't feel comfortable with the idea of her walking home.

"Can I at least walk with you?"

Amu forced a smile and shook her head. "Your step-dad should be here soon and I'm sure Utau is starving. You have to stick behind and serve up the dinner."

Ikuto glared at her. "I don't give a shit about Kazuomi, he can starve for all I care."

'Agreed.' Amu thought, her stomach plummeting when it was confirmed that Kazuomi was, indeed, Ikuto's step-dad. Who would be getting here very soon.

"Ikuto." She used her warning tone before smiling gently and pressing a kiss to Ikuto's lips. "I'll see you at school."

Quickly stepping out the door, the pinkette examined her surroundings to make sure no cars were pulling into the driveway.

"Well at least put this on so you don't freeze to death." Ikuto slipped out of his jacket and helped Amu put it on. The corner of his mouth turned upwards at the sight of her drowning in it. "Phone me when you get home, okay?"

Once she nodded in response, he kissed her slowly, not wanting her to leave. Neither did she, really, but if Kazuomi would be returning home soon, she knew it was for the best.

She waved goodbye before heading down the street. Though she wanted to, she refused to run so that Ikuto wouldn't grow suspicious.

Once the Tsukiyomi house was out of sight, Amu flipped up the hood of Ikuto's jacket so it was covering half her face. This way if Kazuomi ended up driving past, he wouldn't recognize her.

Kazuomi. She hated the name. It made her insides distort in disgust and discomfort. How could he be living under the same roof as Ikuto? But, the main question that stuck in her mind, was how she would be able to continue to be with Ikuto if his step-dad was her rapist. She'd forever be terrified of going over to Ikuto's house, or even hanging around him at all just in case Kazuomi dropped by to pay Ikuto a visit and found her there as well.

Hot tears welled up behind her eyes as a lump slowly began to clog her throat. She was terrified and couldn't tell anybody about it. For Ikuto's safety, not even he could know.

Amu reached out to grab the doorknob of her house and paused. So what could she do about this? She had no proof of what Kazuomi did to her, so she couldn't go to the police. The only way she could really be somewhat safe from him was if she…cut all ties with Ikuto. If she wasn't in Ikuto's life, then she wasn't in danger of crossing paths with Kazuomi.

Slowly releasing the doorknob from her grasp, the pinkette dropped to the cold ground and hugged her knees to her chest, leaning her back against the door. She knew for a fact that she wouldn't be able to cope without him in her life.

But…

Maybe she'd have to.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

It had been one week. Seven whole days of avoiding him.

Amu found it almost outstanding how she had been able to not talk to him for so long. Of course, she'd be lying if she said it had been easy. She may have looked composed and calm on the outside, but on the inside she was completely frazzled, not to mention her paranoia was continuously building with each passing second.

It was for Ikuto's safety, she kept reminding herself. If she distanced herself from him then perhaps Kazuomi wouldn't harm him in any way.

Amu's stomach tightened and churned at the thought of that disgusting man. He now was reminded of her existence. Surely he'd be wanting to do something to make sure she stayed quiet about their encounter all those months ago.

As much as Amu tried to deny it, she knew he wouldn't have forgotten about her. How could anyone forget such a foul experience?

Sighing, Amu slammed her locker shut, jumping at the sudden appearance of Ikuto, who had been hidden behind the locker door when it was open.

His deep blue eyes were steely as he stared her down with an unreadable expression. "Why are you avoiding me?" He asked sternly.

Amu fiddled with her lock longer than necessary as her heart rate increased while beads of sweat gathered on her forehead.

"I-I'm not." She said weakly.

She felt entirely numb, despite her brain constantly reminding her that it was for the best.

Turning to walk away, she inhaled deeply and slung her bag over her shoulder. "I've just been busy."

Easily keeping up with her pace, Ikuto walked beside her, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Ah, right. So this morning when you saw me in the hallway, you turned around to walk the opposite way 'cause you were busy. Makes sense."

She didn't dare look at him, but Amu could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"Look, I-I just…" She stuttered out, unsure of how to finish that sentence. What was there to say? 'Oh, sorry, there's a rapist that's after me and might hurt you in order to find me.' didn't quite sound like the best way to get rid of him. It would just arise more questions.

"You just what?" Ikuto inquired, picking up his pace and stopping in front of Amu, who had no choice but to stop as well.

She was about to lose it. She could already feel her eyes prickling as her throat began to tighten.

"I can't do this." She said in a voice no louder than a whisper, her voice breaking as she pushed past Ikuto, hurrying to get away.

Her heart was pumping loudly in her ears, feeling like she was about to have a heart attack. She could hear Ikuto gaining on her again, and she now knew that there was no getting around it - she had to do it, even if it crushed her.

"Amu, I-"

"I think," Amu interrupted, whirling around to look at him. She did her best to put on a strong front. "I think it's best if we…saw other people." Her heart shattered at the expression on Ikuto's face. In an instant, she wanted to break down and apologize while hugging him tightly, promising that she didn't mean it and still loved him.

It took a moment, but Ikuto finally opened his mouth to reply. "…What's going on with you? Did I do something or- just, tell me what's wrong! You can't leave me in the dark and expect me to completely understand why you want to end things. I know you're hiding something. Tell me what it is!"

Closing her eyes to hold back the tears, Amu shook her head sternly while pursing her lips together. "I-I've just been doing a lot of thinking and it's for the best." Lies. Lies. Lies. "I mainly just clung to you because I could trust you easily and you understood my problems. But how would that work out in the long run? It'd be a messed up relationship that wouldn't be able to survive and we'd both be hurt way more than if we ended it now." She swallowed the lump in her throat and choked out an apology before hurrying away, pushing through the exit doors of the school and sprinting to the sidewalk before he could catch up.

Once the school was out of sight, Amu dropped to the grass beneath a tree and pulled her knees to her chest, sobbing into them. This was too much stress for someone her age to carry on her own. And it wasn't just the stress that was getting to her - she was terrified. Any day now she could be dead if Kazuomi found her. It was no secret that he was dangerous - and she was his next target.

Crying harder, Amu shrunk deeper against the tree, shivering as the light breeze grew stronger.

Maybe she'd just stay locked up in her room for the rest of her life. She could disappear for a while, leave the phone off the hook and never answer the door. Of course, Rima wouldn't appreciate that very much, but right now Amu couldn't care less.

Taking a few deep yoga breaths, Amu staggered to her feet and wandered back to the sidewalk.

It was nearly December, and it showed in the weather. The air was frosty and bitter and it nipped at Amu's exposed arms as she walked.

She was supposed to be heading to work, but how did anyone expect her to do a good job when she couldn't even concentrate? But still, she was torn between doing her job as a good employee and doing what she wanted - and what she wanted was to go home and die.

Throwing open the door to her house, Amu dragged herself inside and tossed her school bag to the floor by the coat rack.

The heated voices of Midori and Ami rang and echoed all throughout the house.

Apparently Ami was failing Math and English and had gotten three detentions so far for skipping class.

Trudging upstairs in an attempt to escape the argument coming from the kitchen, Amu closed herself up in her room and dropped onto her bed.

Removing the vibrating cell phone from her pocket, she slid open the back and removed the battery so no one could contact her. It would most likely be Ikuto anyway, and she couldn't bear to hear his voice.

Ami's voice could still be heard from downstairs, forcing Amu to get up and turn on the radio. But before she could turn the volume up to full blast, Midori called Amu to come downstairs and talk to the person who was at the door for her.

Amu groaned out a reply and wandered down the stairs, passing Ami, who was storming past to get to her room.

Opening the front door fully, Amu peered out and froze. Why had she been so stupid as to open the door by herself? She should've been aware of the dangers that could have been waiting for her. Such a careless mistake made her sick to her stomach.

Kazuomi rose a finger to his lips, gesturing for Amu to keep quiet. "Come with us and your family won't get hurt." He spoke slyly, his voice making Amu's blood churn.

She took a step backwards, choking on her words as she shook her head, eyes wide with fear.

He stepped closer to her, nodding to the two men behind him. They both grabbed onto Amu's arms and dragged her out of the house, one of them covering her mouth with a cloth as she kicked her legs and tried to scream.

This couldn't be happening. It felt like a sick, twisted dream that would haunt her for years. The only difference was that this was reality and she might not survive long enough to have her dreams haunted by it.

Thrashing her legs, Amu screamed and punched, scratched, and stomped to get out of the two men's grasp.

They were dragging her towards a car with tinted windows - one she had seen so often parked outside her dad's office building. Wherever that car would take her would be the place she'd die, she just knew it.

She attempted to scream and kick harder, but whatever soaked the cloth that was placed under her nose was beginning to take its toll on her. All feeling in her muscles was lost as her breathing slowed and her eyelids began to droop. As hard as she fought against it, the chemical finally did its job and made Amu grow limp in the arms of these strangers, who tossed her into the back of the car and quickly drove away without leaving anything behind.

**A/N: Guys I am SOOO sorry! My updates have been absolutely TERRIBLE lately! One chapter every month. What is that! I will really, really try to update longer chapters much sooner. Please forgive me! P.S. Only about four chapters left!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Everything was black and fuzzy. Distant voices and sounds strung together, making it impossible to differentiate and pinpoint just exactly what she was hearing. Her tongue felt numb and her eyelids heavy. The chilly air surrounding her made the hairs on her arms stick up from their place beside her, strapped firmly to a chair along with the rest of her body. She still couldn't open her eyes. She was sure she could have been able to if she tried, but a part of her dreaded what she'd find if she did.

The murmurs of hazy hums started to grow louder, drawing closer to wherever Amu was sitting. She could almost make out a voice or two in the jumbled mixture, but her head pounded so strongly she couldn't tell if they were voices or just a figment of her imagination.

Eyelids still too heavy to open, Amu attempted to move her arm, but found her muscles to be too weak to even make one of her fingers twitch.

A sob built up in her throat, threatening to expose Amu for being awake. What surprised her most about this whole situation was not that she could very well die here, nor the fact that she might never see her family again - what hurt most of all was the last conversation she had with Ikuto. She missed him already, and knowing that she might never get to apologize to him and explain why she acted the way she did. He would remember her as the girl that lead him to believe she accepted him no matter what and honestly wanted to be with him, but in the end she turned out to be the complete opposite.

Amu could feel hot tears building up behind her closed eyelids. Her head hung low, her hair dangling in front of her face, disguising the hurt expression that had recently appeared.

After a few more silent moments passed, she decided she was finally ready to face her fate. It was either now or later, but in order for it to be later, she'd first have to survive through whatever else her kidnappers would do to her.

Struggling to lift her unnaturally heavy head, Amu winced and whimpered before she pried open her eyes and took in her surroundings.

It looked like an abandoned office would. Except this one had a basement feel to it. The windowless concrete walls surrounding her provided no natural light and shut out all sources of heat. Just above her, the ceiling was covered in fluorescent lights that glowed far too bright for Amu's head to handle, the occasional bulb flickering as if it was having a seizure - or about to cause one.

"Ahh, look who's awake." The rough voice inherited an almost caring tone to it, which made Amu's stomach churn.

With the lights increasing her headache at an alarming rate combined with seeing the person she hated most stand just a few feet away from her, Amu strained her neck to turn as far as she could to the side before emptying out the contents in her stomach.

After a few more retches, Amu closed her eyes in pain and sniffled, lifting her heavy head back into place so she could stare coolly at the man in front of her, ignoring the tangy aftertaste in her mouth.

"You, my dear, are a sneaky one." Kazuomi commented as he pulled up a chair in front of Amu, turning it around so he could sit on it backwards, draping his arms over the back of the seat.

"And you're a sadistic bastard." Amu spat, no longer able to contain the anger anymore. If she was going to die, she might as well stop being a coward and speak her mind before it was too late. She just wished she had gained this newfound courage sooner, then maybe she would've enjoyed her life a little more while she could.

The corners of Kazuomi's lips turned upwards in amusement as he hummed in response, giving a curt nod.

"Some would think." He shrugged and brushed it off. "But you. I thought you were gone for good after our first encounter all those months ago." His eyes glazed over as a ghost of a twisted smile appeared on his lips as he recalled the night in the alley. "You see, just weeks beforehand, your father was talking about how your family was planning to move by the end of the summer. Imagine my surprise when I discover just last week that you're still around. And-" He barked out a laugh. "screwing my step-son of all things!"

Amu gritted her teeth tightly together as her glare towards him intensified. "You're a disgusting pig. And yeah, we would've moved if my dad hadn't been killed in a car accident." She spat venomously.

Kazuomi's smile grew at that. There was something unsettling with the way he nodded knowingly.

"Yes, that was a shame, wasn't it? No one could have seen that coming."

Slanting her eyes at Kazuomi in suspicion, Amu let her curiosity get the better of her.

"What do you know about the car accident?"

This seemed to be just what Kazuomi was waiting for as his grin grew eagerly. He stood up slowly and started circling around Amu's chair.

"Let me explain."

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Ikuto sat at the kitchen table in silence, staring at the steaming mug of coffee sitting in front of him.

He wasn't particularly sure why he had even poured himself a cup of coffee, as he was fully aware that he had no intention on drinking it. He had lost his appetite ever since learning of her disappearance.

It had been a week since Rima had called him up, panicking about how no one could find Amu and how Midori had heard a scream from outside, but when she threw open the front door, the car was already speeding down the street, no doubt with Amu inside.

He didn't know how to react. It was like all of a sudden he had grown entirely numb yet heavy at the same time. What he did know was that he couldn't move, even if he tried.

The police still had no leads. Many people were beginning to think it was a lost cause. However, Ikuto wouldn't let his thoughts drift into the negatives. They would find her. They had to. The Hinamori family couldn't lose another member when it hadn't even been a year since Tsumugu passed on. Plus Ikuto wouldn't let Amu leave this world without living out her life to the fullest.

His throat tightened at the thought of Amu. He began tapping his fingers impatiently against the warm coffee cup to distract his thoughts. Who was he kidding? He hadn't been able to get her out of his head since they last spoke in the school hallway last week, the day she was reported missing.

Gritting his teeth together, Ikuto squeezed his eyes shut as guilt overwhelmed him, tears brimming his eyes. He could've prevented it from happening. Maybe if he had went home with her or even just delayed her getting home so she wouldn't have been taken. He should've been there for her. Even if she ended their relationship, he still felt it was his duty to protect her. And yet he failed at that. Now she was gone and no one knew how to get her back.

Ikuto wiped his eyes discreetly and exhaled loudly, staring back down at his now cold coffee. Twisting his face in disgust, he slid out of his chair and wandered over to the kitchen sink where he dumped the remaining coffee down the drain.

"Hey, Ikuto?" Rang Utau's voice from the living room.

Hoping his voice sounded stronger than he felt, Ikuto spoke up. "…Yeah?"

"Do we have any lined paper?"

Thinking for a moment, Ikuto recalled that all the paper located in the house was usually found in Kazuomi's office - which was always locked. It was no use even attempting to get in there. Nonetheless, Ikuto told his sister that he'd try the door to see if it was unlocked.

He remembered the last time the door was left open was a few years ago, when Ikuto walked into the office not realizing that Kazuomi hated people wandering through his 'private room'.

Coming to the landing at the top of the stairs, Ikuto paused at the last door on the right, letting his hand rest on the doorknob. With a shove, and a surprised response from the teenage boy, the door swung open.

He could honestly say he didn't know what move to make next. The darkness of the room lured him in slowly. There was only one window in the room, on the wall opposite of the door.

Bookshelves lined the walls and a desk that was overflowing with papers sat in the middle of the room.

Sighing, Ikuto wandered over to the desk to start his hunt for lined paper.

After rummaging for a few minutes through folders, filing cabinets and seemingly discarded drawers, he was about to give up his search until a name written on a piece of paper caught his attention.

Leaning over to switch on the lamp to see better, Ikuto pushed all papers off of the one he was holding tightly. It was a list of names, attached to the back were photographs and information such as street addresses and phone numbers.

Ikuto suddenly felt sick to his stomach once he found Amu's name on the list. She was number 5. Flipping through the other sheets stapled to the list, he stopped when he found the sheet that held all Amu's contact information, as well as her school schedule and some candid photographs.

Ikuto's mouth went dry as his mouth widened and his heartbeat seemed to stop. For a moment he refused to think the worst, but after flipping to the first few pages and seeing pictures of other girls, he recognized a few of their names. One of them had been a girl he worked with until she disappeared sometime in January. Her body had been found discarded in a back alley. Another name belonged to someone from Seiyo High school, she too had gone missing.

His stomach lurched when he realized all the names leading up to Amu's had been crossed out. Hers was yet to be done, which meant two things.

First: Kazuomi was the one responsible for all this, and second: Amu was still alive.

**A/N: Hey guyyss! So I was just wondering, anyone got some Amuto fanfics that they'd recommend? I'm looking for a good read!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Amu waited impatiently as Kazuomi continued to circle around her calmly, letting his hand lightly brush her shoulder on occasion. The small contact made her stomach lurch once more as she bent over and threw up again, this time hoping to get at least a few droplets onto the man beside her. Lifting her head back up, she cringed at the sudden wave of dizziness that washed over her. What on earth did they do to her?

"You really should learn to talk about private things when there aren't so many people around." Kazuomi stated, pausing for effect after giving her a dirty look for almost vomiting on him.

Scrunching her eyebrows, Amu narrowed her eyes at the man. "What?"

"I'm talking about the day you told your dad about our little incident."

Staring down at the floor, Amu attempted to push aside her drowsiness to concentrate on what exactly happened that day.

She remembered sitting in his office, impatiently glancing at the clock every few seconds while Tsumugu lounged at his desk attempting to untangle the phone cord from his arm as he conversed with his boss, who was on the other line.

He was the only one she decided she could trust. He would know what to do and he could protect her from further harm.

It still didn't make it much easier to just come out and tell him.

But a few minutes after he was done on the phone and they were about to head home, she spilled. She told him everything. Where it happened, when it happened…but she didn't dare tell him who it was that did it. Just the look on his face after telling him the major parts got him so worked up, Amu could've sworn he was about to smash every object in his office.

Once coming to his senses finally, Tsumugu pulled his daughter into a secure hug, whispering comforting words over and over again as she sobbed into his shirt. Nothing could compare to how safe she felt when in her father's arms.

She didn't know how long they stood there for, but she remembered not minding one bit. It seemed that she would always need her dad, no matter how old she got. And in this moment, Amu was reassured that he would always be there when she needed him. Even when she didn't necessarily need him, he'd be there.

Tsumugu parted from his daughter and gently rested his hands on her shoulders, staring her straight in the eyes. This was the most serious Amu had seen him in all her life.

"Did you recognise the person who did it?" He had asked.

It was the question Amu was dreading most. What could happen if she answered honestly? He wouldn't go charging after Kazuomi and hunt him down, would he?

Amu reassured herself that Tsumugu wouldn't do anything stupid. If anything, he could sort this out with the police since Amu wasn't brave enough to do it herself.

Finally, she whispered the name. At first she was unsure if he had heard her or not, since his facial expression stayed the same. But it wasn't long after that his eyes grew wider and darker, adopting a fierce look Amu had never seen. His mouth pressed into a firm, thin line as his grip on her shoulders unconsciously tightened.

Before she could stop him, he was apologizing and excusing himself from the room, claiming he had something to do.

"P-Papa, Papa!" Amu hurried after him, her heart pounding louder when Tsumugu asked a fellow employee if Kazuomi had gone home yet. The employee had said that yes, he had left just a minute ago.

Twirling around to look at his daughter, Tsumugu placed his hands on her shoulders again. "Stay here, Amu-chan. I'll be right back, I'm just going for a drive to calm down." He spoke urgently. She knew better than to believe that he was just going for a calming drive. He was going to find Kazuomi, which was the last thing Amu wanted him to do. It was far too dangerous.

"N-no, papa, don't!" She cried out, reaching out to his retreating figure.

Coming back to present day, Amu leaned back in her chair. Her weak limbs were aching even more than before as she pressed her chin to her chest, creating a curtain of hair to hide behind so Kazuomi wouldn't see her tears. That was the last conversation she had with him before the accident that took place just half an hour afterwards.

To this day, she hated herself for it. Of course it was her fault that Tsumugu was dead. If she hadn't told him about the whole situation, he would still be alive. He'd still be hovered over a cup of coffee everyday when she got home from school. He'd still get over-emotional at the slightest mention of a boy. He'd still be here if it wasn't for her.

Letting out a sob, Amu's whole body shook in anger once she put the remaining pieces of the puzzle together.

Wide eyes sparkling with tears, she whipped her gaze over to Kazuomi, the hair on the back of her neck standing straight up at the sight of his smile.

"D-did you-"

"I would've killed him in the parking lot, but once I saw him get into his car, I got a better idea and decided I'd follow him." The burly man stated calmly with a carefree shrug. "It all worked out rather perfectly."

"You were responsible f-for the car crash?" She could barely hear herself over the beating of her heart.

Kazuomi feigned a look of hurt as he took a step back from Amu and placed a hand over his heart. "How cruel, my dear. It wasn't my fault I happened to overhear the conversation between you two. It also wasn't my fault when I accidentally rear-ended him into a ditch. It was an accident, of course."

Amu's eyes filled with tears as she cried with a hatred that burned in her chest. He deserved to die a slow, painful death for what he did. He took away the life of the most innocent, loving man Amu had ever known.

"Wh-why are you telling me this?" She snarled through gritted teeth, her vision continuing to blur.

"So you don't underestimate what I'm capable of." His reply was almost immediate.

Slightly taken aback, Amu frowned through her tears. "What?"

Kazuomi sighed tiredly, as if everything he said made all the sense in the world. "So now you know what fate Ikuto will face because of what he knows. Now if you had kept your mouth shut, then maybe we wouldn't be having this-"

"I didn't tell Ikuto!" Amu cried out quickly. "He doesn't know a-anything." Her voice broke as she said the last word. He didn't know. He didn't know what he deserved to know most.

Sniffling quietly, Amu was almost ready to ask for death. She didn't want to live with this constant torment anymore. She didn't want to fear that Kazuomi was waiting for her around every corner. She didn't want to continue living off just a few hours of sleep a night simply because her dream world was haunted with an ominous being that lurked in every shadow. She was more than welcome to escape it all - leave everything behind.

But…Ikuto. She couldn't bear to leave him alone with his step-dad. And Utau! What if Kazuomi decided to go for his own step-daughter next?

At that moment, Amu no longer felt the soreness in her muscles, nor the throbbing headache. She felt stronger and wasn't going to let Kazuomi win that easily.

"You're a disgusting pig!" She screamed, attempting to kick her legs, which were bound by ropes. "I hate you! You're the one who deserved to die, not my dad! You should get hit by a car and crash into a ditch. You should've been the one to be permanently scarred in the dirty back alley that will forever haunt your dreams! You should be living with this torment and not me!"

Her throat hurt from screaming, but she still had more to say as she thrashed against the tight ropes.

Kazuomi and one of his men had quickly started assembling something in a needle as another man slipped something into a glass of water.

"You've always been so difficult." Kazuomi snarled under his breath as he turned around with the syringe in his hand. "We were planning on having a little fun with you while you were still conscious, but if you have to be like this…" He drifted off as he got closer to her.

Amu kicked some more and screamed until her throat throbbed, but she was determined to scream even if her lungs began to ache.

Just after Kazuomi punctured the needle into her arm, she felt her muscles relax against her control. The man who was mixing something into the glass of water hurried over and forced her to drink it.

So that's how they had kept her unconscious for so long - they kept drugging her until she couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.

Feeling her limbs grow weak once more and her vision start to twirl and blur, she recognized that she was about to lose consciousness again. This time, she wasn't too sure she'd ever wake up.

Even in her delusional state, she still felt a small twinge of hope as voices on the other side of the door grew louder as they broke into the room she was held captive in.

Then all went black.

**A/N: And exhale… Pheeww that was a difficult chapter to write. After this is the easy part: reconciliation! And I'm sorry that we didn't get to see Ikuto beat up the scumbag Kazuomi and save the day, but I wanted this story to be somewhat believable. Stay tuned, though! Next chapter we find out that technically, Ikuto did save the day.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

_She was walking along the soft forest floor when she saw him._

_He stood by one of the many large hazelnut trees, his back towards her. Though the heavy canopy of branches above spread shadows throughout the woodland, it wasn't an ominous atmosphere, but more of a peaceful one - almost a figment of her imagination. Or a dream, rather._

_The sweet scent of fresh dew dancing across grass mixed with the cool breeze of a nearby waterfall tingled her nostrils as stepped closer to him._

_With warm sunlight softly straining in through the blanket of trees, she had to pinch herself to remind her that this was all real. He was here. Right in front of her._

_To prove her point, she outstretched her hand, making Tsumugu smile when he grasped it in his own, pulling her into a bear hug - one much like the hugs she had grown used to when he was still alive._

_It didn't take long to break into heavy sobs as she clung to her dad's torso, terrified that he'd disappear before her eyes. He couldn't leave her. Not again. She couldn't face her everyday life, tormented, like she had for the past few months. Not telling anyone her secret had isolated her from society, even from her own family. Her dad was the only one that made her feel like she belonged. This was where she belonged. Here in his arms. She was invincible when in his protective hold - it was the only place where not a single thing could harm her._

_"It's all going to be okay from now on." He promised, tightening his grip around her. "You're safe."_

_Those two words caused the tears to come faster. She was nearly gasping for breath as her shoulders trembled against Tsumugu's chest. Safe. She hadn't felt safe in what felt like years._

_"I missed you." She whispered into his jacket. Closing her eyes as the sobs subsided._

_She felt a tear fall from his face and disappear into the fabric of her shirt before he repeated himself, this time much softer._

_"You're safe."_

The heavy stench of disinfectant hung like clouds in the air around her as Amu slowly regained consciousness as a shimmering tear dropped from her eyelashes, the ghost of her dream still lingering in the back of her mind.

Her body felt like lead, she discovered, as she focused on moving one body part at a time. She started with her toes, which stubbornly budged only an inch. When she moved onto her legs, a searing jolt attacked her ribcage, making her chew on the inside of her cheek to hold back a painful gasp as she squeezed her eyes shut at the impact, clenching her fists with what ever strength she had left.

Her breathing was haggard and laboured as she winced, struggling to open her eyes and greet the cruel light that shone down on her.

Wait… light?

Amu's eyes fluttered open. She blinked once, then twice, trying to recognize her surroundings without moving too much in case someone was watching her every move.

There was a tray of discarded food on her left, attached to the bed she was in. The walls were a bland white, which displayed few pictures of fruits and flowers - the only hope of life in the dull room. Underneath a painting on the wall opposite of her sat a small armchair scattered with throw pillows and a knitted blanket.

Her golden eyes then settled on the sleeping frame of a woman sitting on the chair to the right of her bed.

The woman's light brown hair was tinted with strands of silver - from stress, no doubt. Her worry lines were softer as she slept, but it was still clear by her expression that she was the farthest from feeling at peace.

"M-mom?" Amu croaked, numb hand flying up to her sore throat as she winced and fell back against her pillow. It felt like she had eaten a box of sandpaper for lunch.

Propping herself up on her elbow with a searing discomfort, she flattened her hand against her mattress to help aid herself in the process, fingers landing on something cool in the meantime.

Out of instinct, she whipped her hand back, eyes shooting over to what it was that was in the bed with her.

Her gaze landed on a single daffodil that took up residence beside her.

Eyes widening, Amu ignored all pain as her eyes whirred around the room once more to find any sign of Ikuto. He must have been the one to leave it with her, since he was really the only one she told what her favourite flower was.

He wasn't there. Amu's shoulders dropped as her eyes lost their brightness and returned to the dull color they had grown into after days of unconsciousness. Why would he leave? She was beginning to doubt he had even come to visit her at all.

"Amu-chan!" Midori gasped before pulling her daughter into a warm embrace as tears began flowing from the older woman's eyes. "It's okay. You're okay now." She soothed while rubbing Amu's back.

It took a moment for Amu to remember just all she'd been through. It didn't take long for reality to flood back into her life. She had been raped and her dad was dead. She was drugged and kidnapped from her own house by the same twisted man who was the cause of her dad's death and her private torture over these months.

Amu wept into her mom's shoulder as she paid as much attention as she could as Midori told her what had happened.

The police had had no lead on her case until an anonymous caller phoned in and supplied them with a tip to investigate Hoshina Kazuomi and to check the warehouses he owned, maybe even his work - Easter Records - for any sign of Amu.

They had found her in the basement of Easter and captured Kazuomi and his goons - who were now awaiting their trial behind bars.

Despite the drugs that had been pumped into her system - Rohypnol mixed with GHB - they received her blood and urine tests back, and she was clear of any infections. Though the doctor did warn Midori that Amu may experience soreness in her muscles, headaches, or some sleeping difficulties.

It was already set up that Amu would go to a counsellor twice a week to help cope with everything that had happened, in hopes of making things a little easier.

Still clinging to her mom, Amu slowly turned her eyes back to the daffodil that was now half-hidden by her blanket as Midori continued on about how scared she had been.

An anonymous caller..? Amu stared at the flower with a blank expression, having a good idea who that caller just might've been.

After a day or so had passed, Amu was finally allowed to return home - under the watchful gaze of her mom and sister, of course.

She chose to take up residence on the couch in the living room instead of her room, feeling more comfortable in the center of the house and not alone in a secluded room.

The doctor had been right about the side effects she may experience. So far she had suffered through all three of them - brutal headaches; muscles that were too sore to move; and not to mention she felt like each night she only got ten minutes of sleep before it was morning again.

Amu sighed softly from underneath her mountain of blankets before burying her face into her pillow, the faint scent of laundry detergent pleasantly filling her nostrils as the TV played quietly in the background.

She was just drifting off to sleep when Ami's voice rattled through her head louder than it actually was.

"Mom…you didn't clean out my garbage, did you?" She spoke hesitantly from in the kitchen, where Midori had been folding towels on the counter.

Midori hummed in response. "Were you looking for something?".

Closing her eyes to brace herself for an argument she could feel coming on, Amu curled deeper into her blankets, silently wishing to disappear.

"Uhhh well…" Ami clenched then unclenched her fists, nibbling on the inside of her lip. "No." She decided. Now wasn't the best time. In fact, she probably would never have to tell her. It's not like Midori would ever find out.

Turning to leave the room, Ami stopped instantly once Midori spoke up again.

"Was it that pregnancy test you were looking for?"

Amu's eyes slowly opened from her spot under the blankets as she poked her head out into the fresh air. Her stomach churned at the thought of where this conversation would go.

Ami opened her mouth, eyes wide like a fish's. "I- Wh-what are you talking about-"

"I found it this morning." Midori replied, terribly calm about the whole thing. Both Amu and Ami were bracing themselves for the blow out.

Turning to stare at her younger daughter, Midori placed the last pile of freshly folded towels on the counter beside her, crossing her arms as her eyes lit up dangerously, her lips pursing. "What are you doing with a positive pregnancy test in your garbage!…You are only thirteen years old! I didn't even think kids your age were capable of getting pregnant!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

Ami looked like she was either about to cry or attack. She stood at the opposite end of the kitchen, arms folded across her chest stubbornly as she glared at her mom. "Well, sorry for not having a mom who was there for me to raise me properly! Amu is only three years older than me and she was the one who was forced into raising me! She tried to do her best, whereas you didn't do anything! You put all the weight on Amu's shoulders when she had plenty enough to worry about!" The auburn-haired girl exploded, finally feeling free to say what she'd been meaning to ever since Tsumugu passed away. "It felt like no matter what I did, you never paid any attention to me! It's almost like dad dying made you stop caring about us!" She sniffled and wiped a few tears away before continuing. "I'm sorry for actually enjoying myself and hoping to forget about all the shit we've been through this year!"

Amu was sitting up by this time, slowly standing up from the couch while wrapping a blanket around her shoulders as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Enjoying yourself doesn't mean you go out and party every night while wasting your life away." Midori scolded. "And now look where you've got yourself! You'll be a thirteen year old mom, Ami! That is not how I raised you to be.

Ami sniffled and wiped her eyes again. "Well you don't have to worry about that. I already got an abortion." She whispered bitterly.

Both Amu and Midori stood in a stunned silence as they stared at the youngest Hinamori.

Amu opened her mouth to speak, her voice coming out no louder than a whisper. "Ami…"

"I didn't have a choice, Amu!" Ami cried before turning to look at Midori. "You would've hated me forever if I had kept it. I didn't want you to know 'cause I didn't want to disappoint you more than I already have. You probably wouldn't have even noticed though, seeing as how you're never around."

A heavy silence filled the air as the three Hinamori girls stood in the kitchen, Amu looking from her mom to her sister, completely lost as to what to do in a situation like this.

Finally, Midori spoke with a broken voice.

"I may not have been a very good mother to you girls since your dad passed away, but I'm trying my best to give you girls a good life by keeping our house and working overtime to do so. If I could be involved in your lives, I would do it in a heartbeat. But I can't. Not when there's so much stuff that needs to be done to give you girls the best life I can." Midori looked away so they wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. "You think I'm a failure as a mom. Well…I think I'm a failure, too."

This had Amu's eyes tearing up as well as she stared at her mom. Midori had been strong for so long but she had finally cracked. Why hadn't Amu seen it before, what all this was doing to her mom? How hard it must've been, especially with the constant feeling of failure resting on her shoulders and ridiculing her every move. She couldn't win. If Midori didn't work so much, she'd be letting the house get put up for foreclosure. But when she did work too much, Ami and Amu would complain about how she's failing as a mom simply because she didn't have much time for them.

Amu slowly walked forward, pulling both of her favourite girls in for a hug. They both accepted the embrace willingly, all three of them crumbling in each other's arms.

If they had all been honest with each other sooner, they could've been supportive of one another, able to make it easier for the whole lot instead of having all of them suffer in silence while attempting to stay strong.

No one knew how long they stood there comforting each other, but no one really cared. A huge weight had been lifted from everyone's chest, and no one had any intention on letting the weight get that heavy again, especially now that they knew how much easier it was to rely on each other to pull them through.

By the time night time came around, the house was nearly back to normal - just a little more cheerful this time. Midori was in the office working on a column that was due for her magazine in just a few days time, while Amu was still curled up on the couch, this time not watching TV, but helping Ami decide on what outfit to wear.

"But then this one goes really, really well with my new boots." Ami hesitated, nibbling on her lip as she stared at the jacket in her hand.

Amu frowned after glancing at the time. "Wait, where are you even going?" Her expression suddenly turned serious. "Please don't tell me there's a party going on-"

"No, no, no, no, no." Ami reassured quickly, shaking her head. "I'm determined to remain sober. Getting drunk didn't get me anywhere good, so…" She drifted off as Amu smiled at her fondly.

"I'm glad." The older sister said honestly, making Ami flush lightly before quickly looking back at her jacket.

"Anyway, there's a basketball game at the school tonight and I really wanted to see it." Ami said in response to Amu's previous question.

Sending her a look of disbelief, Amu narrowed her eyes. "Tell the truth."

Ami attempted a poker face, but ended up cracking under Amu's gaze. "Okay, okay. So I'm not going anywhere, you are."

"Um..I'm pretty sure I'm not."

"Nope, no, you are. This outfit is for you." Ami stated surely, waving the clothes they had just picked out. "Becaaaauuse.." She slowly slid the single daffodil flower off the nearby coffee table. "He's the one that left this for you. I saw him leave your hospital room. I don't know why he didn't stay," Ami frowned, twirling the daffodil in her fingers, "I guess he didn't want to intrude or something." Taking another look at the flower, she looked over at her sister and outstretched her hand, holding out the flower to her. "He's playing tonight. You should go watch."

Amu stared at the flower that was still outstretched towards her. Feeling a lump growing in her throat at the thought of seeing him again, Amu slowly reached out and accepted the flower from her sister, smiling softly at the beautiful yellow the petals gave off.

Biting down on her lip, Amu looked back at Ami.

"Okay."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Amu had to remind herself why she felt compelled to do this. She stood in the entrance of Seiyo High, frozen to the ground while the cheers and echoes of the basketball game rang down the hallway.

She wanted this, right? She wanted to see him. She wanted to explain the situation to him and apologize. The paranoid side of her brain kept nagging at her, pointing out that he might not even want to have her back in his life. He could be completely fine without her and she was the only one suffering from their separation.

Amu angrily blew her bangs out of her eyes before she turned to glare at Ami. "Why am I doing this! I don't want to! I want to go home and rest and form a pity party so I can sulk for the rest of my life while living in pet shops so I can snag a couple cats when they come on sale."

Giving her an unimpressed look, her younger sister crossed her arms. "Oh yes, 'cause I'm sure that's what you really want."

"Since when does it matter what I want?" The older sister whined, fighting the urge to stomp her feet and run away. She knew she wouldn't get very far, though, since Midori was outside parking the car and would chase after her immediately if she tried to make an escape. Amu had to admit, even though it was a little inconvenient, she was glad her family was here with her. Both Midori and Ami were paranoid that something might happen if they let Amu out of their sight, so they insisted on coming along to be her bodyguards.

A rush of cold air whipped against Amu's back as Midori entered the front doors, rubbing her hands together to soak up the warmth of the school's lobby. "So! Where's Ikuto-kun?" She asked, eyes scanning the empty corridors.

"In the gym." Amu murmured, eyes downcast. She silently lifted a finger, pointing to the hall on her left.

"That way."

"Mom, please don't embarrass Amu while you're here." Ami begged, tugging on Midori's sleeve. "It'll ruin the whole 'big reveal' when she walks through the doors of the gym and you're there frolicking behind her while humming show tunes."

Their bickering became distant hums as Amu's stomach plummeted to the ground. She had no idea that Ami had a 'big reveal' planned. Amu had originally hoped she'd just slide into the stands and meet up with Ikuto after the game. Of course everything had to be blown out of proportion with Ami.

High-pitched chatter grew louder as a herd of cheerleaders came down the hallway on Amu's right, clearly making their way to the gym.

Amu stole a quick glance at the girls, her eyes catching with a familiar golden-eyed teenager she loved so much.

"Amu?" Rima stopped walking, letting the other girls go on ahead with Utau leading the group, not even noticing Amu there.

Lifting a hand slowly, Amu attempted a meek wave as she smiled at her friend.

In an instant, Rima's cheer bag was discarded on the floor and her arms were thrown around Amu's neck, embracing her in a tight hug.

Amu wrapped her arms around her with equal strength, biting her cheek to stop the tears that were building up. Rima never was one to show much emotion, so Amu decided that crying in front of her would just humiliate the blond, no matter what their current situation was.

To her surprise, Amu heard a small sniffle come from Rima as she buried her face into Amu's neck, probably from embarrassment, Amu figured. "You idiot. Never disappear again." The blond muttered sternly as she slowly pulled away from the hug.

Amu wiped the tears from her own eyes as she choked out a laugh. "I'll try not to."

Rima sniffled again, more tears building up in her eyes before she placed her hands on Amu's shoulders, looking strictly into her eyes. "Are you okay? You're in good health, no body parts are missing, no memory loss..?"

Amu laughed shakily and shook her head. "I have all my body parts, I remember how amazing of a friend you are, and I'm…in fairly good health… considering what happened." Fresh tears started to make an appearance as the topic was brought up.

Rima noticed this and firmly shook her head. "We don't have to talk about it if you're not ready."

After another hug, Rima inhaled deeply and quickly wiped her eyes before clearing her throat. "Well, I must get back to the game to start cheering and doing all that stupid crap I'd rather not do." She drifted off before her eyes got a little wider. "Oh! And.." She leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I'm going on a date with stupid Nagihiko next Thursday."

"What!" Amu grinned widely as her eyes lit up. "Wh- so you both finally got over your stubbornness and admitted that you've fancied each other for ages now?"

Rima sent her an unimpressed look. "I wouldn't put it that way…but, yes. I'll give you all the details after the game. See you later." She gave Amu another quick hug before hurrying away, double checking over her shoulder to make sure Amu was still there and that she hadn't hallucinated the whole thing. Sending Amu a wave, she turned around and disappeared through the doors of the gymnasium.

"Rima-chan looks good." Midori commented, walking up to stand beside Amu as she wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulder. "I didn't know she was a cheerleader."

"Yeah, she has been for like…ever, mom." Ami commented.

And again they started bickering.

Inhaling deeply, Amu released the breath slowly before walking the few feet down the hallway, stopping in front of the doors to the gym. Her palms had already begun to sweat as her fingers trembled nervously against the door handle.

With her heart pounding against her chest and blood pumping in her ears, she was almost positive that she wouldn't make it into the gym, as she'd be sent to the hospital because of a heart attack.

"You can do it, Amu!" Ami stage-whispered, giving her a thumbs up when Amu looked her way.

Pursing her lips together, Amu nodded once, trying to make her eyes look determined as she pulled open the door and walked inside the noisy gym. The cheers and applause swarmed around her, adding to her headache.

She spotted Rima across the room with the other cheerleaders, performing their routine and cheering at the top of their lungs.

If the cheerleaders for Seiyo were across the room, that would mean the basketball team was over there as well, Amu figured, braving a few more steps into the gym to get a better look at their team's bench.

Nagihiko was sitting on the bench with a few other people Amu didn't recognize. It was just now that it occurred to her that Ikuto may in fact be playing in the game and not sitting on the bench. This made her heart rate increase even more as she took a step backwards, eyes scanning the court.

And there he was, racing against a member on the opposing team, his arms spread out in hopes of catching the ball that was aimed in his direction.

His hair was slightly damp from sweat, but he was still the same Ikuto Amu remembered. His eyes were set in determination and his lips pursed together, his eyebrows slanting downwards. His 'game face' as Amu had called it so much in the past.

She smiled bashfully as she watched him run to the other side of the court with the ball, jumping up and dunking it into the net. The crowd swarmed in cheers and applause as the cheerleaders across the way jumped around happily.

Glancing at the timer, Amu realized why everyone was getting so into it. There was only five minutes left on the clock and so far Seiyo was behind by one point.

Just as the two teams ran back down to the opposite side of the court, the one closest to Amu, Ikuto looked away from the ball for a split second and saw her.

He slowed down to a stop, his jaw relaxing as his eyes widened briefly at the sight of her, standing there in all her tired glory.

She smiled unsurely at him before waving, which brought him back to reality. He was standing in the middle of the basketball court and should have been getting a move on.

Attempting to meet back up with his team, Ikuto kept glancing over at Amu to make sure his brain wasn't just playing tricks on him. But each time he looked over, he was reassured again and again that she was really here. She was okay.

The referee blew the whistle after Coach had muttered a few words to him. Bringing the Seiyo team in, Coach specifically turned to say a few words to Ikuto, who still hadn't got his head back into focus.

He quickly made up an excuse, saying it felt like he was going to be sick and that he was hit with a wave of nausea in the middle of the game.

Kukai just noticed Amu standing in the doorway and realized what was going on, so he quickly chimed in. "Yeah, Coach. Me and Ikuto went through a sketchy drive-thru before coming here. I told him not to eat the hot dog, but you know him, he never listens.." he drifted off teasingly. "He might feel better after either taking a crap or throwing up."

Coach looked at Ikuto with his eyebrows raised, expectantly.

Ikuto quickly looked from Kukai then to Coach, stealing a glance at Amu in between. She was slowly moving out into the hallway. "Y-yeah I'm sure I'll be good after going to the bathroom." He said as convincingly as possible, trying to appear like he was in pain - which he kind of was, as the thought of letting Amu walk away made him feel sick.

Thinking long and hard, Coach stared him down intensely. Finally, realizing he had stopped the clock for a little too long, he made a decision. "You'd better be back here to score that winning point, Tsukiyomi. If you aren't, it'll be your head on a stick."

Ikuto tried not to grin as he nodded once. "Yes, sir."

Without sticking around a moment, longer, he hurried along the side of the court as the teams went back into position, Nagihiko subbing for him.

He pushed open the door to the hallway, coming to a halt and letting the door close behind him as he found Amu with her back to him, staring out a window.

It felt like he had been waiting years for this moment to come.

Glancing over her shoulder, Amu checked to make sure it was him before turning fully around.

"B-before you yell at me and do all other ballistic things - which you have the right to do," Amu began quickly, her voice shaking, "I wanted to say that I'm sorry." She paused to nibble on her lip, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Ikuto, who seemed to be memorizing everything about her while he still could.

"I should have told you the real reason why I broke up with you. A-and I should have trusted you and just…" She drifted off as she wiped the tears off her cheeks. "I shouldn't have been so scared that I decided to keep you in the dark and probably made you feel horrible about yourself, a-and to top it all off I go missing the same day I ended it with you, which probably made you feel extremely guilty." She sniffled and inhaled deeply to slow her tears. "And I'm just…I'm so sorry, Ikuto."

He was silent as he stood just a few feet in front of her. His eyes were hard to read, his hands sitting loosely at his sides.

Amu was beginning to think this was her queue to leave until he finally broke the silence with a soft whisper.

"I really want to kill Kazuomi for what he did." He spoke with venom in his words, his eyes finally showing some emotion as they turned cold.

Amu nodded silently, wiping away more tears. "I do too." She whispered back as her voice broke.

No more words were exchanged as Ikuto fumed in silence and Amu tried to stop crying.

Taking a step closer to her, Ikuto's eyes grew softer once his full attention returned to her, and not thoughts of killing his imprisoned step dad.

"Can I kiss you now?" He asked.

Amu's heart pumped loudly once again. She sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve as she nodded, her cheeks flushing. "Yeah." She managed to squeak out.

He didn't have to be told twice for Ikuto to close the distance between them, pressing his lips against hers as his hands cupped her cheeks, brushing her tears away with his thumbs.

Amu placed her hands on his wrists, clutching them tightly to make sure he didn't disappear.

He kissed her over and over, taking in every detail of her lips. They parted briefly, but only to capture each other's mouths once again, Amu running her hands through Ikuto's hair as he wrapped his arms around her mid-section and trapped her to his chest.

Ikuto hoisted her into the air so Amu could wrap her legs around his hips, sliding her arms behind his neck to hold on tightly as she placed another kiss to his lips.

Amu really hoped Ami and Midori weren't still somewhere in the hallway, watching their little reunion, or she knew she'd never live it down. But as Ikuto pulled away briefly before pressing a more gentle, thorough kiss to her lips, she realized she really didn't give a crap about everything else right now.

Finally they parted for a breather and Amu held onto him tighter, burying her face into his neck to inhale his scent and memorize every aspect to it. Memorize the fibres of his shirt and the feel of his hair. He lightly drew his fingers up and down her back, sending a wave of tingles through her body, jolting her heart once again. At this rate, she really would end up in the hospital due to a heart attack.

"I love you." Ikuto murmured before kissing the side of her head softly, resting his forehead in her hair.

Amu pulled away from his neck, blushing like anything once realizing she was still clinging to him like a koala on a tree.

She placed a gentle kiss to the side of his lips. "And I love you." She whispered, planting another kiss on his cheek, then one to his neck. "More than you know."

"Does this mean you'll be my girlfriend again?"

Amu gave a watery laugh as she pulled away again to look at his face. "Of course."

Ikuto slowly let her back down to the ground as Nikaidou waltzed by and shot them a disapproving look over the rim of his coffee cup before disappearing into the gym.

Covering her face with her hands, Amu laughed before letting out a groan as a blush painted her cheeks. "I have to see him in class tomorrow!" She whined.

Smirking deviously, Ikuto reached out and pulled her hands away from her face, lacing his fingers in between hers as he pulled her closer to him and pressed a kiss to her nose. "You should be my date to the Christmas dance." He decided.

Funnily enough, Amu had completely forgotten about the Christmas dance that she had spent the last few months planning for.

Arching an eyebrow, she tried to look annoyed. "Do I have a choice?"

Ikuto's smirk broadened as he leaned closer to her so their noses were touching. "No." He stated before kissing her once again, pulling away quickly and leaving her wanting more.

Amu pouted and attempted to glare at him before recalling what she had bought earlier that day and had in her pocket.

"Oh! I know your birthday was a few days ago, but…" She pulled out a giraffe keychain out of her pocket and handed it to him. "You said a while ago that you wanted a giraffe, right?" She smiled cheekily as he chuckled and accepted the gift, sliding the key ring onto his finger before tucking it into his pocket.

"Thank you." He kissed the top of her head just as the gym doors flew open and Kukai scrambled out.

"Hinamori!" He exclaimed, pointing a finger at the pink-haired girl, who jumped at his sudden bellow. He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug that lasted longer than Ikuto would've liked. "I missed you." He said quietly, his voice taking on a serious tone that let Amu know he truly meant it.

Finally letting go of her, Kukai then turned to Ikuto. "Right. So, Coach is going to have your ass if you don't get on that court in half a second. There's ten seconds on the clock and he needs you there. Nagihiko can't do much with his injury." He turned to look at Amu and lowered his voice. "Don't tell this guy over here, 'cause it'll get to his head, but Ikuto's basically the best player on the team."

Ikuto rolled his eyes at this.

"Alright!" Kukai patted Ikuto's shoulder as he opened the gym door again, holding it open for Ikuto. "Let's go, lover boy."

"Tsukiyomi!" Coach bellowed from the court.

Ikuto nearly jumped out of his skin before he hurried in after Kukai, Amu following in shortly after.

They all resumed their positions as Amu found her mom and sister on the bleachers, climbing up to go sit with them. She must have been positively glowing, because Ami didn't bother to ask how it went, she just smiled knowingly.

The pinkette sat with her hands tucked under her legs as she watched the game play out in front of her.

She recalled the very first basketball game she attended this year, mainly for the reason of seeing Ikuto play - though she never would have admitted it at the time, claiming she was there to support Kukai and no one else. Amu frowned as she realized that she was also on a 'date-ish' thing with Tadase that night. She made a mental note to text him later to see how he was doing. She may not have liked him anymore, but he was a wonderful guy and a great friend - one she still wanted to have in her life.

The crowd started counting down the final three seconds as Kukai dashed across the court, dribbling the ball. He stopped at the halfway point and passed the ball to Ikuto, who caught it after ducking under the arms of his opponent to snatch it out of his reach.

Everyone knew there was no way he'd make it to the other side of the court before that one second was up. So, braving it, he stopped at the three-pointer line and shot.

Nearly everyone held their breath as Amu stood up in her seat along with a few others to get a closer look at the net.

Just moments after the buzzer went off, the ball swished through the net and sent all of Seiyo's fans into a cheering frenzy, everyone standing up and patting each other on the back for a game well played and well won.

Utau ran out and jumped up into Kukai's arms, who happily twirled her around in the middle of the court.

Rima, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic about the win, but Nagihiko ruffled her hair to make her smile, despite trying to keep up appearances.

Sliding in between the crowds of people, Amu hurried down the bleachers and jumped into Ikuto's embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck before placing a kiss to his lips.

She sighed to herself as she rested her chin on his shoulder, the cheering of the crowd drowning out and turning into white noise in the background as she held onto Ikuto tighter, closing her eyes. This was where she belonged. And something told her she wouldn't have to leave him again anytime soon.

And all was well.

Well…except for Kazuomi, who was found guilty of three other cases of rape and first degree murder, and would now spend the rest of his life in prison.

But with that aside, Amu knew that when her dad visited her in her dream, he was telling the truth.

She was going to be okay.

**Author's Note: AND IT'S OVERRRRRR. But stay tuned! There will be a bonus chapter that'll be posted uber soon 'cause I already have it written. (I wrote it even before I made the very first chapter of this story. Aahhhah.) So. This is the outcome of being snowed in and lacking a day of school. Thank you all so much for sticking around for so long, even though at times it took me ages to update. Love you all and I'll hopefully see you in my next story! (might post a preview if many people want it) I so far have one chapter created, about Amu and Ikuto being best friends, but then….. WELL BYE.**


	29. Extra

**Epilogue**  
**Four months Earlier…  
(Takes place during chapter 1) **

Senior year had finally arrived.

The final year of immature bickering and lousy gossip. After this, there would be no more ass-kissing to teachers everyone loathed. The same teachers who loathed the students just as much but pretended to act so otherwise.

After this there would also be no more ridiculous dress-up days only the freshmen seemed to enjoy; and no more tacky festivities only half the school participated in. It'd all be gone in just ten months time.

Ikuto could hardly wait.

In fact, he was so eager for it all to end that he sat on the edge of the school's roof with his feet dangling over the ledge. His hands were folded loosely in his lap as he calmly gazed over the school grounds. A cool breeze had picked up and tousled his hair, blowing a few strands in front of his deep blue eyes as he let the muscles in his face relax.

It wasn't just the stress of school that was already getting to him, but work and family as well. Work was as it always had been - boring and a reason he had fallen behind in schoolwork last year.

Whereas at home…it wasn't getting any better. His mom had lost her long battle with leukemia just last week. She had been in and out of the hospital for years, giving Ikuto mixed feelings about the whole thing. Of course he didn't want her to die. It still created a lump in his throat at the thought of her. He didn't want her to die at all, but he knew she wasn't suffering anymore.

Utau, his younger sister…she was really his only ally in all of this. They had joined forces when their step dad, Kazuomi, came into the family picture when Ikuto was around seven.

He was a man who made Ikuto's life a living hell. He tried to take on the role of 'dad' in the household, starting with telling Ikuto what to do and what was best for him. If Ikuto spoke his mind and defied Kazuomi - something he usually did - he'd get a belt to the back until the right amount of blood was drawn.

Ikuto even had the scars to prove it - but refused to show anyone, not even Utau. He didn't want their sympathy. Or worse, to be looked down on as some kind of freak who couldn't even stand up to his own step dad. Plus, even if he did tell someone, what could they do about it? Call the police? Kazuomi would smooth talk his way out of it, then punish Ikuto in a way far greater than what he'd been experiencing so far. Worst comes to worst, Kazuomi would hurt Utau instead. That'd hurt Ikuto more than a belt to the back ever would.

Ikuto let his eyes gently shut as he relaxed his face muscles once again, his ears tuning in to listen to the distant singing of baby birds, followed by the low hum of a lawn mower starting up down on the soccer field.

There was a lot of good in the world.

Yet it didn't seem to matter how good the world was, the negative still managed to out-shine a thousand positives. And those negative had the power to twist and mangle your life in every possible way, making you beg for an escape from the world.

Gradually re-opening his eyes, Ikuto came to a conclusion: he needed a reason. A reason to stay alive.

Slowly rising to his feet, he released a deep, calming breath, "Give me a reason." He spoke softly while glancing up at the squiggly white clouds, in hopes that maybe his mom could hear him.

He waited a moment. Then two. By the time he reached ten counts, his foot was already raised and ready to drop.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

Ikuto quickly put up a nonchalant front and spun around in disbelief- …and there she was, with her pink hair and golden eyes.

His reason to live.

**Author's Note: Okay, so that's the very end of this story now. (This took place during chapter one, this is just Ikuto's side of the story) Soo I guess this gives us a better idea why Ikuto kept that pregnancy test, using it as an excuse to talk to Amu and get to know her more. I mean, if someone showed up in your life as a reason to live, I'm sure you'd want to know more about them too :P SOOOO. Now for the preview for my next story…which I hopefully will create, but I'm still unsure. I'll see Ya'll later! (Amu and Ikuto are good friends in this story)**

**"Ah, yes…" Ikuto replied slowly before sending her a pointed look. "I seem to recall you having plenty of crabby days once a month. Do you want chocolate?"**

**Amu flushed a brilliant shade of red before giving a small nod.**

**"You still joining us for the movie night on Saturday?" The pinkette asked once her blush had calmed down, though her anger still remained from his previous comment. She wasn't that horrible when it came to her period. Ikuto just always happened to receive the worst of it.**

**Ikuto gave her a wary look. "Do you want me to?"**

**"Why, yes, yes I do. Then I can smother you with a pillow!" Amu exclaimed, throwing him a dark glare.**

**The old man at the counter sported a sailor-like paper hat, crinkles at the corners of his friendly eyes, and a welcoming smile. He reached over the counter and handed Amu her double-scooped, triple chocolate ice cream - in a waffle cone. Ikuto once made the mistake of ordering it to come in a bowl, like he preferred his own. After spending the day being ignored, he knew never to make that mistake again, having to learn the hard way just how attached Amu was to those waffle cones.**

**"Here you are, miss." The elderly man's attention caught briefly on the Disney character printed on Amu's t-shirt. He looked back up at her eyes and smiled again, "Or should I say, 'Tinkerbell'."**

**Amu blushed as she smiled bashfully and accepted the ice cream from the man. "Thank you, sir." Her honey-coloured eyes wandered down to the floor as she waited for her blush to subside.**

**Ikuto grabbed a spoon and stabbed it into his own iced dessert.**

**"More like _Stinkerbell._" He uttered, pretending he didn't notice the extra deadly death glare that was thrown his way.**

_**To Be Continued…Maybe**_


End file.
